The Gods' Game, Side Story
by Liz Inverse
Summary: An accompanying story to The Gods Game, Part 2. While Sharmin traveled the road of the adventurer, her sister was right there with her. When they were separated, Komugi found herself on an island full of treasure, zombies and vampire pirates, oh my.
1. Chapter 1

The first memory I remember having is of Sharmin, my sister. It's odd, considering I was quite the momma's girl as a young child, but Sharmin is the first thing I remember seeing when I think back to those times. We were always together, and although she was the older one, I ended up sticking up for her more than she had to for me. Of course, the town boys constantly teased her over her spectacles, which made her eyes seem three times larger than normal. I only had to worry about one black-haired annoyance named Koyori.

My rivalry with Koyori began not long after we had both enrolled in Einhovant's School of Magic. We were friends the first couple of days, until I discovered she had a crush on the same boy I did. This fancy faded quickly, as all cases of young puppy love do, but then began the trend of her fancying every boy that I did.

Living on Talking Island, secluded away from the rest of the world left us with very little to develop crushes on, so I suppose I can't blame her. I do have good taste, after all. But it was just really, really annoying. Everywhere I went with the boy I liked (because usually I was the one he liked in return) she would be, watching us from behind a house or a crate.

I loved teasing my sister. I never meant any harm by it, of course, although she did end up telling me several times during our childhood that she hated me. This was all taken at face value of course, as I know Sharmin could never do anything without me there by her side. At first my parents and I thought she was to just live an average life, like them, doing average things. She was quite proficient in cooking, so she probably could've become a chef of some sort, maybe for a noble in a castle somewhere. This was what we expected, that is, until the year Leon DiValmont came to Talking Island.

Leon was quite handsome, I'll have to admit, but his personality always struck me as dry and angsty. There seemed to be much too much baggage dragging along behind him for my taste, but for some reason Sharmin fell for him like a rock down a cliff. He had blonde hair that trailed down his neck, one portion always falling over his left eye and obscuring it from view. How he manages to see to swing a sword properly with it blocking his eye, I'll never know, nor do I care. Maybe she saw something in him that other people didn't, who knows.

Around this time I began crushing on a boy named Ryonai who was in Leon's class. My class was combined with his for a test on battle healing, and I was assigned to him. At first I was pretty bitchy towards him; after all, he did spend most of his time teasing my sister. But the more I hung around him, the more I began to like him. His outgoing nature was interesting, although he was quite immature. He was only twelve, but already a well-seasoned flirter. Koyori was assigned to him another combined class day, and she was pleased to announce to our class, after the days studies were up, that she was going to marry him when she turned fourteen. I shouldn't have been surprised; of course she would like the same guy I chose.

I saw Ryonai's class come out to the beach near the town one day after my classes were finished at Einhovant's. I noticed Leon was among them, so when I went home to play that night, I just _had_ to tease Sharmin about it. She was grounded at the time, as she had snuck away to the harbor the night Leon's ship had come in. We weren't supposed to leave town without one or both of our parents, as it was common knowledge that the Orcs or the Werewolves that wandered the forest outside the Village would kidnap children to eat. Sharmin snuck out after my teasing, and a misfired ice spell and well-aimed rock throw later, she became the unofficial mascot of Ryonai and Leon's class.

With the intention to tease, Ryonai had thrown a piece of coal at my sister. It hit her in the head at the same time as a misfired ice spell by bubble butt Koyori. Somehow the traumas cleared her vision, as well as gain the pity of Ryonai's teacher Cedric. Mom didn't even notice that her sight had been cleared until way later that night, she'd been so angry about how Sharmin's glasses had gotten broke in the process. Ryonai felt so guilty for throwing the rock for weeks afterwards, as he didn't know it was going to land on her head and hurt her. He would never admit that to anyone but me, though.

During one such mascot-like following of the class, Sharmin ended up somehow agroing a Werewolf Hunter. It tore through several students, including Ryonai who almost died from it. She was banned from going with the class then, and the town became angry at her and our family for how the attack had almost killed their children. I was mad at her for a bit too, for how badly hurt Ryonai had gotten at her expense, but after talking with him, it became apparent that she really had no fault in the attack. The Werewolf simply approached her, and she ran from it. I probably would've done the same thing. Anyone who got in the way was stupid and deserved to get the snot kicked out of them in the first place. Nevertheless, Sharmin was banned from going out to watch the class after that.

What the truly unfortunate thing about that whole endeavor was; they blamed our entire family for it. Mom was denied groceries at the store, and the women of the village snubbed her and gossiped about everything she did outside of the house. Sharmin's schoolbooks would disappear when she'd go to class and then turn up later, the pages ripped out. The formerly harmless teasing she received from the boys turned violent, and even girls in my class went out of their way to try and make her life miserable. I put a stop to that, though. It didn't take me but a month to straighten my class out. Koyori seemed the most stubborn to cooperate, and she ended up with black eyes more than anyone else.

The final blow was when dad came home beaten up one evening. Some of the boys in Ryonai's class had decided to slack off because summer holiday was coming up, and blamed it on injuries received during the Werewolf attack when they got scolded at home. Their fathers believed them, and took it out on dad. The morning after he came home bruised, I woke up to find Sharmin not in bed. I figured she'd gone out for a walk, or was trying to get to school extra early so she could avoid the daily teasing, and went about my morning duties before I had to leave for class. You can imagine my surprise when I was walking to school I happened out to find Sharmin facing off against Leon on the beach. His entire class, including Cedric, watched in amusement. I was so scared for her then, I'd seen Leon fight, and I'd heard about it from Ryonai. As boring of a personality as he had, he knew his swordsmanship, and was good. I tried to stop them, since I thought Cedric was just encouraging more teasing and berating of our family, but he caught me by my shirt and wouldn't let me.

Sharmin wasn't very good, Cedric had supplied her with a sword that was way too big and heavy for her to use, but she was determined to show them up. Apparently, I heard from Ryonai later, that Cedric had made her some sort of bizarre deal that if she could beat Leon, he'd let her in his class. I can't believe she fell for something as blatantly stupid as that. She did manage to put a few scratches on him, but he gave her a pretty deep gash in her chest, which I healed of course. Even though she didn't pass the challenge given to her by Cedric, she managed to make some sort of impression on him, and he accepted her into his school right there on the spot.

Mother didn't want her to become a swordfighter, as she had been preparing Sharmin to become some semblance of a lady. Gone now was her formerly long hair and long blue dresses. From now on she'd wear short skirts or armored bikinis and have nothing but a short hairstyle. I'm more partial to longer hair myself, so I feel sorry for her. I suppose it makes waving those swords around easier when your hair is short though. I couldn't imagine it though, I'd feel naked. She'd come home every Darksday and holiday to visit, as Cedric required everyone live in his dorms for the 'full' school maturing experience. The muscles she was developing were so cool! They were like tiny versions of the ones Ryonai had himself. I thought maybe that now she had muscles, she'd kick butt on her own and I wouldn't have to stand up for her anymore, but alas, she was still the same cowardly Sharmin. She couldn't even do the basic skill test and kill an Elpy. When someone did kill one in front of her, I'm told she burst out crying like a baby. God Sharmin, grow up.

During her second year in school she was attacked in my school by some nutjob who decided to kill our Headmaster for a set of books that he could've purchased at any magic store. I'm not exactly sure why, as I've been injured worse just healing people out in the field, but the poke he gave to her stomach left her traumatized. She all but stopped her sword studies after that, as she'd break down into hysterics every time she tried to kill something that walked on two legs. There was a small Orc uprising down by the docks several months after she was attacked, and Einhovant's and Cedric's classes were combined to put a stop to it. I was doing a great job then too, my healing was quicker and more soothing than anything that lump Koyori could kick out. She kept trying to show me up by taking the people I called to heal. She ended up getting shot by an Orc later I'm told. Heh heh, serves her right.

Cedric decided to pair me with my sister, and after conversing with my teacher, it was made permanent. My studies were halted until she was able to advance herself. I found this extremely unfair, why should I have to suffer when it's her who has the hang-ups? I ditched her the first day we were stuck together to go hang out with Ryonai. Heck, if I don't have to be in school, then I'm going to be doing something I enjoy, not tagging along after my sister who was killing things that could no more hurt her than a toothless dog could eat a bone. Oh yeah, I think she killed a goblin finally that day too. I suppose that's progress, as it runs on two legs. She got lucky though, I was going to take the ugly bastard out myself.

Ryonai and I talked all evening and flirted like you wouldn't believe. Sigh. He told me that he was out of class that day because Cedric and most of his class including Leon and some kid from Sharmin's class named Gatz were leaving the next day. This was extremely disappointing news, as Ryonai still hadn't chosen between Koyori or I, even though he spent more time with me than with her. I walked him back to the Training Hall for dinner, and he ended up pulling me beside the school for a kiss. Or two. Or three. In any case, it was fun, my very first kiss with the boy I liked. I couldn't have asked for a better set-up.

Sharmin just had to come back to the Training Hall while Ryonai was kissing me and interrupt us. She got all bonkers over the fact that he was older than me. Come on, who died and made her my mother? I even doubt mom would care, she liked Ryonai. She had this blonde kid (I think it was Gatz?) following after her as she yelled at me, obviously trying to confess his love to her, so I got a little bit evil and started teasing her about Leon. That got her off of my case like a ghost-repelling charm. Sadly, it seemed to upset the guy behind her too. She told me to go away and not come back for awhile. This was fine with me, as I had no reason to go back to Cedric's once Ryonai was gone. Not like I wanted to visit her.

We started talking again about a week after the boat left with Ryonai on it. Koyori had gone too, which was very aggravating as I knew she was going to put some moves on him. Oh well, I got to kiss him first at least. Sharmin began training again, still at her agonizingly slow pace. The new headmaster at her school kept trying to get me to convince her to return to being a common villager. I ignored him though, what say does he have over what Sharmin does or doesn't do? She eventually advanced to where she could kill some bats and goblins. Orcs and Werewolves gave her problems a bit still and there was no way she could face off against a skeleton. For some reason her brain connected it to living humans and it set off her anxiety attacks.

Two years after the boat left, the Orc, Werewolf, Skeleton and Rat tribes on the island came together to siege the Village in hopes of claiming it. Sharmin became a different person in that battle, the first thing that seemed to be on her mind was to get me to safety. I was scared; I had never seen that many beasts before. They were killing off people right and left, the guards in town weren't enough to hold them off. Sharmin's trauma held off as she cut through them. She managed to kill everything from the Werewolves to the Skeletons without a second thought.

She brought me to the church, and left me there. I tired to get her to stay with me until the siege was over, but she insisted that she had to go see about our parents. I couldn't argue with this, even though I wanted her to stay with me and protect me like she had been doing as we ran through the village. Things get fuzzy after that, the entire experience was traumatic for me, and I've tried to forget much of it. I just know that a boatload of visitors who luckily happened to be fighters arrived and put a stop to the siege. I was brought out of the church and forced to help heal, as there were many injured and not enough healers. Koyori had returned with the boatload, but the situation was too grim for either of us to compete against one another.

I met an Elven Elder that day named Glarawen. She was a very kind and gentle person, and had a smile on her face despite the carnage and sadness around us. The smile wasn't cocky though, it was comforting. She helped me through a lot of the injuries I had to heal. I was worried about Sharmin, as I hadn't heard from her since she'd shoved me into the church, but if she wasn't among the dead who the villagers were gathering up, then she was fine. Sometime during the chaos of trying to heal people, I heard Sharmin scream from near our house. Of course, I ran there to see what had happened, my heart leaping into my throat. I found her screaming hysterically into the ground, Gatz and Glarawen trying to cease her crying. Gatz was holding her tightly; he looked as if he were going to cry himself. Glarawen just sat there, probably unsure as to what to do, and rubbed Sharmin's arm. It dawned on me then, as I looked at our ruined house, as to why Sharmin was upset. I don't remember anything after that, as I had fainted from shock.

I woke up a full day later in Sir Collin Windawood's house. I was in a daze, nothing felt real. Sir Collin's maid tended to me, which I'm grateful for now, as I don't think I would've been able to even walk by myself that day. Sharmin's belongings and mine were in crates stacked around the room, and I peered into one of them to find most of our stuff broken beyond repair.

I took a walk through town alone later, after the maid had force-fed me some soup. People were carrying lumber everywhere, repairing the damage done by the siege. Many houses were boarded up, their occupants never to return. A woman, one I knew to live outside of town near the Elven Ruins, sat amidst a large group of crying children, some my age, some older and younger. I found myself, a few moments later, staring at what used to be our home. I hadn't even realized I was walking there. The reality of what happened hit me in full then, I think, when I saw the charred pile of lumber that used to be our home. Sharmin sat in the grass outside of it, Gatz sitting close to her, watching as men shoveled the ash into wagons to haul it away. A small tree, its roots wrapped in burlap, was propped against a bucket of water nearby.

My legs began to move before I came to fully realize it, and I ran to the wreckage. I think I was whimpering "No" then, but I can't be certain. It was all very fuzzy; I wonder if I had gone crazy then. I began digging through the soot and tinder, not sure what I was looking for. Unfortunately, the first thing I found, was a blackened human skull, its jaw partially unhinged. I threw it down and began screaming hysterically, much like Sharmin had done before. Someone dragged me away from the house and knelt to the ground, hugging me protectively and petting my hair. You'll never guess who it was either- my life-long nemesis Koyori. I suppose we were friends for that moment, until I calmed down enough to be turned over to my sister, who held me and cried.

The tree was planted once the wreckage was moved. All of the soot and remains were piled in the hole with the tree, turning the plant into a kind of memorial and grave. The church was opposed to a grave being in town, thinking it would lure in evil spirits, but they were ignored and the tree planted anyway. Sharmin and I were orphans now, and not old enough or able to live on our own, so we moved in with Marseille, who was taking in all of the orphaned children from town. Her farmhouse was large, and she lived alone. Sharmin was the oldest of the group, so she and Gatz made themselves useful by keeping the Orcs, Werewolves and Spiders from coming onto the property.

I tried to go on with life normally, but I found myself going through all of the motions half-heartedly. I tried to date, as many boys were interested in me, but I couldn't bring myself to enjoy their company and usually brought them to the Waterfall to break it off after a few days to a week. This was probably really bitchy of me in recollection, as the Waterfall is a popular spot where couples go to make out. I think I totally ruined that place for half of the male youth of Talking Island Village.

Life went on like this for a few months, until one day when Koyori came from town to accompany Sharmin and Gatz on their rounds. Koyori was showing an unhealthy interest in Gatz, and it disturbed me, as she was going after someone attached to my sister, not anyone I liked this time. I don't think either of them saw it either. God Swordies are so dense. She was yelling at Gatz, a common ritual for her whenever they'd return from scouting, and I just couldn't take her screeching anymore. I went out to tell her to shut up, and somehow her idiotic retorts melted away all of my grief. Who would have thought Koyori could've actually done something _useful_ in her lifetime. We ended up getting in an argument, and Sharmin and Gatz slipped away while we were in the middle of it. Good for Sharmin, I hope she finally stops being so dense and actually sees how much the guy really likes her. He was putting his own training on hold to stay here on Nowhere Island to be with her, but for some reason she couldn't see it. Maybe some of Leon's cluelessness rubbed off on her or something.

Anyway, I was feeling better after putting Koyori and her giant bosoms down, so I decided to start dating a boy who'd confessed his feelings to me several days before, that night. His name was Lev, and he lived in the Orphan's home with Sharmin and me. He was scheduled to leave for the mainland to live with some relatives in Heine who had just learned of his parents' deaths. This was good, as most of the boys whom I'd dated in the house prior thought that, because we lived together, meant they could get hot and serious. I don't play that way. I have to be the sweet age of 16 with the boy of my dreams before I'd ever think of getting serious like that. And the boy of my dreams is absolutely perfect in every way except for his shy streak, which compliments my boldness perfectly. He will confess his love to me by the ocean, while I stand knee-deep by the reef hunting brightly colored shells, the wind blowing through my hair. He will present to me a crystal lily hairpin which I will place behind my ear, and then he will wrap his arms around my waist and gently lift my chin up to kiss me lovingly under the bright light of a full moon. I will not settle for anything less than this, and if anyone tries to force me into differently, there will be hell to pay.

Gatz came storming back as Lev and I laid on the picnic table outside of the house, watching the stars appear, and disappeared into the house. Damn, Sharmin must've blown it, the idiot, I remember thinking. She came over the hill quickly about ten minutes later, and dashed into the house herself without a word, Leon and two elves following in her stead. Well, that answered why she failed with Gatz, Leon showed up. And of course, he's dense as always, as Sharmin obviously had gotten upset with something dealing with him, and he couldn't see it. What goes through his head, anyway? Or any of their heads for that matter? Sharmin likes Leon, has liked him for YEARS, and he can't seem to see it. I can't even imagine what he thinks her forlorn looks and how she follows him everywhere means. Gatz likes Sharmin, but she's too dense and wrapped up in her feelings for Leon to see it, even though it's also so freaking blatantly obvious. And then we have the third triangle member now of Koyori, who really wants Gatz for herself, but he's too wrapped up in getting Sharmin's attention that he doesn't see it. Maybe they need to take advice from that Dark Elf Vuylay that came with Leon this time and just throw themselves at the people they like. It might solve something.

Sharmin didn't come down for dinner that night, and Gatz stayed long enough to get a bowl of stew and then disappear outdoors again. He's always seemed to have this deep-seated dislike of Leon. I can imagine it has to do with Sir Collin, as he was rather fond of Leon and compared Gatz' performance to his. Anyway, that Vuylay seemed to step in and decide to show off to all of the boys, gaining EVERYONE'S attention, even Lev's. What is it with boys and large breasts anyway? Don't they know that large breasts can be hazardous to their health? I can imagine someone can suffocate between something as big as some of them get.

Sharmin came down eventually, looking like she just woke up. I decided then to try and distract myself from taking a pin to pop Vuylay's breasts to pull Lev's attention from them and try to fix her up with Leon. Heck, if she failed with Gatz, might as well get her in a situation where she could finally admit her feelings to Leon. This didn't happen as planned, however, as Sharmin is as stubborn as Leon is clueless. I tried to give them something to talk about, but instead it became story time for the entire house. Leon told us of all the places he'd seen and people he'd fought up until then. Big deal, it was all pretty average. Most of his tales included protecting people. I figure he'll be a Paladin then someday. It'd be just like him to put himself in a pillar-like position for the rest of his life. Koyori and Sharmin slipped away sometime during Leon's story, and eventually I abandoned ship as Leon and Narlafayn's story-telling abilities were rather sub par and uninteresting. I took Lev out back to break up with him on the spot, as I didn't like how he was watching Vuylay. Broke the poor boys heart, but that's what you get. I don't share with melon breasted bimbos, and my perfect man will know that.

As Lev went running back into the house to cry, I heard people talking around the front and decided to go investigate. Lo and behold, there stood Sharmin and Gatz. Sharmin seemed to be upset about something, and Gatz appeared to be packing. Great, he was upset over Leon's presence I'll bet, and was leaving. He kissed Sharmin goodbye, a common act done by boys who want to give the girls a chance to stop them. Sharmin, however, did not, and like an idiot, let him leave.

Life went on as usual, of course, although Sharmin seemed a little out of it for a few days. I noticed Koyori was missing about a week after Gatz had left, and could only surmise she was trying to gain his attention now that he was away from Sharmin. I hope for his sake that he sees through that, but it's probably doubtful, he is male after all.

Leon and the elves seemed to be staying around for an extended visit, and made up for Gatz' absence by taking over the scouting and extermination duties. I attempted to get Sharmin and Leon into awkward positions more than once, but the only one affected by any of them was my backwards sister. What does it take to get through to Leon, a chisel and hammer? She went out hunting with him and Vuylay one hot afternoon a week or so later. They were gone for a long time, so I spent the afternoon getting to know Narlafayn. It was rather unproductive, as Narlafayn didn't seem to know _anything_ about Elfin Lore, but a whole load about weapons and armor. What kind of elf is she anyway? She certainly looks mystical and wise, but when she opens her mouth it's a different story. I've never seen an elf like her before either, she acts more human than anything. She claims humans raised her, so who knows.

Sharmin and Vuylay returned that evening without Leon. Sharmin told me that he had disappeared after looking at the wanted posters in town, so maybe he went out to kill the Orc Pirate Uthanka or something. Sometime during the night he returned, I saw him walk into the house as I sat near the shed making out with my newest boyfriend, Meka. He came out later with a sleepy Narlafayn following behind him, his travel pack slung over his shoulder and hurried towards the harbor. Poor Sharmin, she didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him.

I thought maybe they'd return to retrieve Vuylay, but no such luck. Not that I blame them for leaving her behind. I would've done the same thing a long time ago. She replaced Koyori's aggravating presence tenfold, as she teased not only my sister, but me as well. I hate Dark Elves, I really do. And if any of them ever ask why I hate them, I'll point to Vuylay. She was obnoxious, loud, always thrusting her breasts at anything male, and, for the moment, stronger in healing magic than I was.

The days were calm, and pretty boring. Summer was in full swing, and not even the monsters that Sharmin had to scout for previously would come out now. I had nothing left to study, as I had long since completed my courses to become a Cleric, I just needed to make my way to Gludin to be ordained. This would be done whenever Sharmin got over her three years old trauma to take me out there. I'd given up urging her through her training and just let things be. Might as well just take things in stride. A bunch of new families had moved in with boys around my age, so I had plenty to keep me busy. Vuylay seemed to enjoy taking their attention away from me at the most inopportune moments. Right when I'd get my first kiss from my newest boyfriend, she'd decide to strut outside in nothing but the strappy undergarments that Dark Elves wore beneath their clothes to do some stretches. Those left little to the imagination, let me tell you, and the bend-over stretches she did with her ass facing us weren't pleasant to behold. I thought life was going to go on like this forever, and contemplated running away, until the day Sharmin started to hear 'voices'. I guess the 'voices' were telling her to leave then, because in that very instant she decided to leave the Island. About damn time too, wow. I thought I'd never hear her say "Let's go."

The boat ride was several days long, and on it Vuylay and I had to team up to save Sharmin from the town drunk who decided to tag along. Montavious was a washed up knight who, due to his own insecurities, could never get any farther in life. He spent most of his time sitting outside of the Blacksmith's shop, a bottle of Dwarven Mead in one hand. Sometime after the siege he'd set his sights on Sharmin, and would attempt to inappropriately grab her or make passes at her, usually when painfully drunk. Usually the grabbing was located on the arms or face, or even around her waist, and the passes harmless pick-up lines, but this time he got aggressive. He pushed my sister against the cabin door and attempted to grope her breasts through her armor. Sharmin defended herself marvelously, and kicked him where it counts. Vuylay stepped in then and tried to strangle him, which I wish she 'd done. (I'd never thought a Dark Elf could lift an overweight human high into the air by his throat.) Vuylay and I took turns after that to stay by Sharmin's side, just in case he decided to get funny while she slept.

During the trip I met a Dark Elf named Valimos, who was heading to the mainland to become a Palus Knight. His family had just moved to Talking Island to investigate the Elven Ruins for some sort of old magic. I didn't really pay attention to his rambling though, his voice annoyed me. He kept approaching me to chatter on about inane things the rest of the trip, too. I resisted the urge to push him overboard several times, as he'd start insulting me the moment I tried to ignore him.

We arrived in Gludin in the middle of the afternoon, and spent the rest of the day sleeping in the Inn. After that, Sharmin, Vuylay and I parted ways to study our next professions. The Bishop in the church ordained me as a Cleric, Vuylay became an Oracle and Sharmin _finally_ became a Knight. That left her to become either a Paladin or a Dark Avenger later, when the time came. I figured she was more likely to become a Paladin, as Dark Avengers tend to like killing a bit more than Sharmin could stomach.

We stayed in Gludin, helping the townsfolk by exterminating bears and pushing back Lizardmen by the Windmills or taking month-long trips into the Abandoned Camp. We always traveled with hunting parties to try and drive out the Ol Malhum. Sharmin seemed content to stay in Gludin, but Vuylay and I wanted to leave after two months. There weren't as many boys my age, or that fit Vuylay's tastes, so we were left with nothing to do after coming back from hunting. What there was an abundance of, however, were spongy old men and Dwarves.

I saw Narlafayn pass through one night and stop in the Grocery store for supplies. She looked weary and ill, her skin paler than I'd ever seen it before. I tried to say hello to her, but she seemed to look right through me and continue on her way. She left to the north, walking slowly as if her supply bag were the heaviest weight she'd ever carried. An Orc whom talked to her briefly before she left told his Dark Elf companion that Narlafayn had been attacked in the Cruma Marshlands by a cruel group of bandits, and lost many things that were important to her. The bandits nearly killed her, but she managed to save herself somehow. Poor girl, I hope she gets better soon.

Vuylay and I finally got Sharmin to leave Gludin half a year after we'd arrived, as Vuylay had received a letter through the Dark Elf Guild that her surrogate mother had fallen ill. She wanted us to accompany her back to her village, a trip that was going to last three months. I wasn't too keen on going right in the heart of Dark Elf land, but anything to finally get out of Gludin. But God, a place full of people like Vuylay. I shudder to imagine it. I learned along the way that Vuylay's birth mother had abandoned her when she was just a girl, and she'd not seen her since. What a scumbag, even for a Dark Elf. How can someone just up and abandon their own child like that? Oh well, I suppose she was better off, as she seems to think highly of her adoptive mother.

I made a habit of asking if we were at our destination yet always at noon after a weeks worth of travel. At first this was simply out of boredom, but then it became an amusement, as Sharmin and Vuylay would have a different reaction every day. Then it evolved into being my way of stopping them for lunch, as they'd travel right through the afternoon and until it got dark before stopping to eat. This fun was put to a stop one day when Vuylay decided to threaten me. I think she'd actually do it too, what she threatened. She's that twisted.

After a month of travel, we finally arrived at the crossroads of the Fellmere Harvest grounds and the Orc Barracks. I suppose normal people would've made it there in quicker time, but seeing as how Vuylay wears heels wherever she goes, our travel was slowed down. I wish we could just leave her, but she's the only one who can get us through the Dark Forest without getting lost or killed. We set up camp in an abandoned house nestled against a hill not half a mile from the road for the night. It was then that Vuylay decided to tell us of our close proximity to the Ruins of Agony, and how ghosts liked to come wandering out as far as this house sometimes. If there's anything I hate more than spiders, it's ghosts. Finding this out now only further served to increase my dislike of Dark Elves named Vuylay.

Sometime during the night I know I woke up, and began talking with someone, but I can't remember it too well. It was like my body was awake, but my mind wasn't, or maybe someone was controlling me, I don't know. I do know that I finally came to, standing outside, in the middle of a dense fog. A black haired woman stood in front of me for a moment, smiling darkly before stepping backwards and disappearing into the mist. I remember staring dumbly at where she had been for a moment, my heart thudding, wondering if I'd seen a ghost or not, as I had to be near the Ruins of Agony.

The snap of someone stepping on a twig caught my attention then, and I turned around quickly, my heart still pounding. From the dense fog came a slender figure, carrying a long mages staff. The closer they approached, I was able to make out silvery hair that seemed to have a pink tint in the dim lighting, and long elf ears. They were wearing a teal blouse and short skirt, obviously a magic user of some sort. I backed away from them a few steps, as I didn't trust anyone on the mainland. She stopped her advance upon me and my ears caught low spoken words, a spell I recognized to be an ice spell. Having studied magic, I was more resistant to the effects of attack spells than most, and I broke through the ice that encased my legs easily. The elf ran after me, as I ran blindly through the fog. The elf paused behind me again, and I could hear the air around her being collected as she chanted a wind spell this time. The spell hit me directly in the center of my back, knocking the air from my lungs and plastering me flat on my face.

As I lay on the dried grass, struggling for breath, the Elf approached me and grabbed my by my wrist. She dragged me along the ground for a short distance before depositing me on the hard dirt of the road. I looked up wearily to find a bald man with missing teeth grinning down at me. He exchanged words with the elf, who commanded him coldly to take me someplace far away. The man loaded me into a cage on the back of his wagon roughly, then snapped his reins to make the Grendels tied to the cart move. Grendels were found in Elmore, and were largely regarded as fearsome creatures. These were sad shadows of what they had once been.

And so my tale ends there, in a cage with about fifteen or so other girls, most of which older than myself, being taken to who knows where.


	2. Chapter 2

"We're being sold, get it?" a dark elf teen girl named Aisha said after Komugi finished her tale. Komugi, at the head of a group of closely huddled girls, glared at her.

"I don't' think they would've risked taking us past Gludin if we were being slaved." Another girl stated professionally, pushing up her glasses. Her name was Carnelian, and she had the brightest goldenrod colored hair Komugi had ever seen in her life. She seemed to be a know-it-all, and had professional responses for anything that was uttered.

Komugi and the other girls had been cramped in the cart-cage for what seemed like weeks. The bald man would let them out in turns on enchanted leashes to relieve themselves and stretch every three or four hours. Every now and again a new girl would be added to the bunch, usually from farmhouses they passed. Their ages ranged from ten through twenty, the youngest girl was a tiny blonde thing by the name of Seven. She had been there the longest, and had seemed to be unable to speak. She seemed to have adopted Komugi as her surrogate mother, as she never let Komugi get far from her sight when they were let out to stretch. Komugi didn't mind, and taught her the strange games that she and Sharmin had played when they were younger. She missed Sharmin, and wondered if she'd look for her.

There seemed to be no common trend to the girls that were taken, other than none were aged past twenty or below ten. Some had just begun their training to become magic users or sword wielders, and had been taken while they trained. The collars the man had placed around all of their necks were enchanted, as Komugi found she couldn't recall her magic properly anymore. This frustrated her, and while Seven slept, she spent her time trying to pull the ghastly thing off.

"It's pointless to keep trying." Carnelian said, watching Komugi from the other end of the cage. The floor of the wagon was piled with the bodies of the girls as they slept, making it impossible to move if one needed to. "You're just hurting yourself."

"Shove it." Komugi hissed, searching the entirety of the collar for the clasp that held it shut once again. Her neck was tender and bruised under the metal from her ministrations. "I don't care if you've decided to sit back and accept what's happened to you, but I'm not going to." She grunted, as she pulled on the metal once more.

"How can no one notice us? We've been traveling on the main road for weeks." A powder blue haired light elf half breed named Zola whimpered from somewhere near Carnelian.

"We're bewitched, probably." Carnelian answered. "There so exists a simple form of Fairy magic that changes the appearance of that which it's cast upon. To everyone we pass, this probably looks like a cart full of supplies of some sort."

"What a load of Keltir shit." Aisha spat, sitting up. "Elves aren't affected by something as base as Fairy Magic. We use it ourselves."

"I am curious, though.." Carnelian began, ignoring Aisha, "as to where we're headed. We've been traveling south for weeks."

The girls didn't have long to wonder, as, several days later, they reached the tip of the continent. The cart rattled slowly as the man drove it directly into the heart of the Langk Lizardman Dwelling. All of them except Komugi and Aisha huddled against each other with wide eyes and frightened cries as Langk Lizardmen peered into the cage, their tongues flicking out to smell the air. They talked amongst each other with strange throat-hissing noises, motioning to the cart with apparent excitement.

"We are being slaved, to Lizardmen." Aisha growled, glaring as one flicked his tongue in her direction. Komugi stared out bravely at them, her face expressionless, and held Seven close to her. Seven made no noise, and cuddled close to Komugi's side, content.

"I regret to say, but I think it's far worse than slaving." Carnelian murmured, peering in the direction they were headed. Komugi stuck her head out of the cart to find themselves entering a strange, fenced off place, the fences made from large sharp bones. Orc skulls were positioned precariously upon the top of pillars set in a symmetrical fashion around the fenced area. At the center was a white platform, upon it a flat slab altar. A richly decorated Lizardman Chief stood next to the altar, a rams-horned staff in one hand. Komugi grimaced as she noticed dried blood decorating the polished white stone of the altar and platform. All around the platform and pushed to the sides near the fence were skeletons and half decayed corpses of people who had previously been sacrificed upon the altar. Komugi was surprised to find there was no stench of decay, surprisingly.

"Are we going to die?" she heard one girl weep as the cart stopped. She was shushed a moment later. Komugi could hear whispered prayers to Einhasad and Eva amongst the girls, and she steeled her jaw. She wasn't going to die, no way. She gripped Seven's shoulder tightly, composing herself. The bald man dropped down from his driving seat and approached the platform like a hunchback.

"Here you go, honored Chief Nartana, twenty six perfect virgins, no older than twenty, no younger than ten." The bald man said, glancing up at the Lizardman Chief at an angle, trying to bow and smile at him at the same time. "Please, take your choice for slaves and sacrifices. After all, they'll just be wasted one the zombies and _him_ once we send them off to Devil's Isle." Komugi's ear perked at this, and she stuck her head out of the cart to look at them. Devil's Isle? What could possibly be there? "I'm sure Bifrons will enjoy the blood of these girls, don't you?" he cajoled, laughing. Lizardmen began to gather around the fence, letting out strange hissing jeers and shaking their weapons at the cart. The girls began to cry louder, some sobbing pleas to their deities.

"Be QUIET." Komugi finally shouted, standing up in the cart. "God you guys drive me crazy! Crying in prayer now is going to do no good, what we need to do is be strong and figure out how to get out of here!" She balled her fists at her sides, trying to quell her angry shaking. She couldn't believe how weak these girls were! Some were supposed to have wills of steel, being swordswomen and all, and here she was, a mere Cleric, braver than them all! It was now that Komugi noticed the Lizardmen had grown as quiet as the girls, who stared at her in disbelief. Over the top of the driver's seat, she could see the Chief had held out his staff, and it's end pointed directly at her. The bald man stood quickly and made his way to the cage, keys rattling as he tried to find the one that would unlock the doors. Komugi backed up and fell over onto the pile of girls as the doors opened, her eyes large.

"No, Komugi!" Zola cried, grabbing onto her arm as the man grabbed Komugi's ankle and pulled. The other girls joined in and grabbed her arms, pulling against the man.

"I'm not a tug of war rope!" Komugi shouted, her voice strained. She felt like she was going to be ripped in two. "Knock it OFF!" She kicked with her feet and landed her foot right in the man's mouth. He cried and released her foot, covering his mouth with his hand. The girls fell backwards with Komugi and panted, exhausted from shouting.

The Lizardman Chief watched the man as he pranced around the cage, his hand still covering his mouth, crying. He then nodded to one of the Lieutenants near the fence. The Lieutenant walked into the sacrificial area and pushed the bald man aside roughly before flinging the cage door open and grabbing Seven's hand. He pulled her out roughly, her legs dragging the ground as she struggled against his grip while trying to gain a foothold.

"Seven!" Komugi shouted, pushing herself up from the tangle of arms and legs around her. The doors had been left unlocked, and Komugi jumped down and raced after the Lizardman.

"Don't Komugi! Just let her go! If she gets killed then we'll all be saved!" Zola shouted from somewhere under the girls.

"She's obviously retarded, she'd be sent off to live at a home in conditions worse than this, anyway." Aisha said, watching Komugi through the bars.

"You guys are sick." Komugi spat, glaring at them. "Just because she can't talk, doesn't mean anything." She turned her back on the girls and grabbed a pair of dual swords from the still armored skeletal corpse near the cart. She shouted as she ran at the Lizardman, the swords held out to her sides. She inwardly winced, as they were much heavier than anything she'd wielded before, and instantly understood why Sharmin struggled so hard the first time she lifted one. The Lizardman paused on the stairs leading to the altar to look over his shoulder at her. Seven stared at her with an expression of surprise, her eyes large. Komugi thrust the swords out, the one in her left hand pinging uselessly off of the Lieutenant's armor, the other ricocheting upwards and stabbing the creature through the eye. It cried a hissing howl and released Seven's arm to cover its bleeding eye and stumble back a few steps.

Komugi backed up to regain her composure before shouting and charging at the Chief this time, who regarded her without emotion. She halted as a sharp pain sliced through her midsection, and looked down to find the point of the saber the bald man carried sticking out of her stomach. She coughed once, blood rushing up her throat and out her mouth, dripping down her chin and onto her yellow dress.

"I pay back for anyone who harms me, tenfold." She heard the man growl from over her shoulder. Strength fleeing her quickly, Komugi found enough pooled in her arms to turn around and elbow the man in the nose as hard as she could. He howled in pain again and withdrew his saber as he backed away, one hand over his nose. Komugi fell limply to the platform, blood flowing out her wounds with every heartbeat and staining her dress crimson. The Lizardman whom she'd stabbed in the eye recovered enough to draw his sword and run at Komugi with a hiss, intent to stab her to death. He suddenly exploded, cut into pieces, his cold blood splattering everywhere.

Komugi looked at Seven, who stood glaring at the Chief, her face darkened. Her eyes glowed with otherworldly light, and in each hand she held a sword that seemed to have materialized from the air. The Chief backed away from her a step and shouted something in his language, and Komugi could hear the Lizardmen as they crawled over the bone fence to rush to his aid. The girls in the cart screamed in fear, but Komugi could only stare at Seven, who seemed to grow right before her eyes. Taller and taller she became, swords flying from the previously sacrificed bodies littered about the platform to spin around her. Komugi blacked out as Seven let out a yell that sounded too deep for a young child, as she dashed at the Chief.

She came to a little later to find a strikingly handsome man with straight blonde hair staring down at her without expression. His eyes were black, as if his pupil had expanded to cover his entire iris. She groaned softly and then passed out again, her head rolling against his chest as he carried her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Komugi… Komugi!" An insistent whisper penetrated the darkness in Komugi's mind and she groaned. Her head pounded as she tried to sit, and she winced, putting a hand to her temple. "Oh thank goodness you're ok." Zola said, relieved. Komugi blinked, trying to clear her vision, and looked around. She, Zola, and Aisha were sitting in a cavern lit by flickering torches. At the back of the cavern sat a caged doorway in the wall, and at the front a small grassy area with palm trees.  
"Where are we?" Komugi asked, pushing herself to her feet and wandering towards the entrance. She shielded her eyes as she hit sunlight and looked around. Large, pointed rocks, like sharp fangs that curved inwards towards her surrounded the grassy patch. She looked down to find her sword wound fully healed, but her dress was still stained with blood. It was dry now, the fabric stiff and heavy from it.  
"Devil's Isle, where else?" Aisha grumbled from the back of the cavern. She had wedged herself into a crevice and pouted, her arms folded over her chest.  
"How did we get here?" Komugi asked mechanically, peering through a small crack between the rocks. In the far distance she could barely see a shoreline. Behind her, Aisha scoffed.  
"The hell if I know." She said icily, scraping her heel on the rock and causing gravel to tumble down the cavern wall loudly. Komugi spun around quickly, her eyes wide and darting this way and that around the cavern.  
"Where is everyone else? Where's Seven?" she asked shrilly, taking a few steps forward.  
"Hell if I know, when I woke up we were the only ones here." Aisha grumbled, turning her head away from her to face the stone wall. "All I know is there was chaos at the camp, and all of us girls used that to our advantage to run away. Nobody tried to stop us either, it was odd. Zola and I were together hiding near these strange pillars around a pool of water when we heard something land near us. Next thing I know it's all gone black and we wake up here with you." She sighed and slumped. The strength left Komugi's legs and she slid to the cavern floor, relief and worry mixing together in her body. She sat there like that, staring into nothing, for a few minutes before standing again.  
"Ok then, we just have to get out of here, no biggie. We're not in any danger right now, so all we have to do is climb those rocks and swim to shore." Komugi decided, wandering back out to the sharp rocks.  
"Good luck with that, those things are rubbed smooth. Besides, the water is teeming with sharks, how are you going to propose we swim to shore with them?" Aisha scoffed, glaring at the back of Komugi's head.  
"Well, it's better to try than to sit here and rot, you know? We got here, so there's got to be a way out." Komugi stated calmly, walking along the rocks. She ran her hand across their surface, checking for cracks that she could break out and create a foothold with.  
"They say the Pirate King Zaken bewitched those rocks to never wither away or change." Zola said, watching. Komugi turned and gave her a puzzled look for a moment before returning to her task. Finding a foothold wide enough for her feet, she then set about a task of digging in the sand at the center of the grassy patch to look for rocks large enough for her to stand on and heft herself up to the foothold.  
"Don't know what you're talking about." She mumbled as she dug. Her fingernails scraped something hard, and she began to dig eagerly.  
"You don't know about the Pirate King Zaken?" Aisha asked in cynic disbelief. "Wow, you really did come from a nowhere town. Even those coming from Elmore know of him." Komugi tilted her head in puzzlement as she uncovered the top of a treasure chest.  
"Would you care to enlighten me then?" she asked, not really paying attention to what was being said. She found a rung on the side of the chest and began pulling with all her might. The sand around it was loose, and allowed the chest to slide easier. Her foothold gave away as she pulled, and she fell flat on her bottom, her skirt flaring out around her as she landed.  
"The Pirate King Zaken…" Zola began, hugging herself and casting a worried glance to the rusted door behind her. "…Was once the most fearsome pirate to ever sail the seas. He became obsessed with the forbidden magic of Giants and pursued tales and dead-end treasure hunts searching for it. He and his crew took slaves to dig out much of the inside of this island, searching for the treasure the Giants had left behind. His crew thought him mad from his quest, and imprisoned him in this very room, leaving him for dead." Komugi stopped pulling upon the treasure chest and looked up at Zola, who was fidgeting in worry. "He found the Giant's treasure though, and activated the forbidden magic connected with it. Humans should not use such a thing, and it turned him into a vampire. With his newfound power he slaughtered his entire crew for the mutiny they performed against him, but the magic from the Giant's Treasure would not allow them to die either. So they all still live here, Zaken and his undead crew, within the deepest recesses of the island cave. It is said that a growing clan of bandits and murderers, fashioning themselves as pirates of the now, wish to gain the powers that Zaken know, and bring sacrifices for him to feed upon." Zola ended her tale with a whisper, shaking from the fear of her own tale. Komugi stared for a moment before pushing herself up again to continue pulling on the treasure chest.  
"If Zaken is such a powerful vampire, then why does he stay here? He's obviously not being imprisoned, so why doesn't he just up and leave and go hang out someplace useful, like that one ex noble up in Elmore?" She took a breath and then pulled on the chest with all of her strength. "At least people like Baium have an excuse, he's actually bewitched to his tower. Waiting here for someone to bring him food is pretty lame if you ask me." The chest came loose with her final tug, and she fell backwards onto her back, her arms splayed.  
"You talk as if this thing is actually still human." Aisha stated coldly, watching her. Komugi lazily lifted a hand to wave it.  
"Well he is, isn't he? He's just got a new food preference. I think it was pretty low of his crew to lock him up like that. Can't blame a guy for having a dream, even though he probably could've been better about finding it." Komugi stated airily. She let her hand fall over her eyes and sighed heavily. It was strange, she had just woken up, but she felt tired all of a sudden. Maybe it was heat stroke, as it was pretty hot out there in the sun. Plus they didn't have any water or food that she could see.  
"What was that?" Zola suddenly asked, standing up. She stared across to the wall of the cavern, where a poorly made iron cage blocked the passageway beyond. Cold air blew, bringing a welcome relief to the heat.  
"What was what?" Aisha asked, annoyed.  
"I thought I heard something, like a person laughing." Zola replied, shivering.  
"I think the heat has gone to your head." Aisha grumbled, kicking her foot again.  
"Komugi, you heard it, didn't you?" Zola asked, looking towards Komugi, who still lay on the sand, the treasure chest sticking half out of the sand between her splayed legs. When she didn't answer, Zola wandered towards her cautiously. "Komugi? Are you ok?" Her eyes widened in surprise, and then she shook her head and sighed. Komugi had fallen asleep.

Komugi bolted upright as a piercing scream tore through her dreams, waking her up. She stared straight ahead for a moment, letting her brain catch up to her body. It was nighttime, and by the position of the moon, it was really late.  
"Hey, what was that?" Komugi called out. When she received no answer from Zola or Aisha, she stood and wandered back into the cave, rubbing her eyes. "Did you guys hear that?" she asked. She stopped, her hand still at her eye in mid-rub, as the previously bolted door was now hanging slightly open. It creaked softly as a breeze blew from somewhere within, and Komugi thought she could hear heavy breathing of something beyond in the darkness. Pursing her lips, Komugi cautiously pushed the door open wide enough for her to poke her head through. "Zola?" she called, squinting into the gloom. A single torch flickered in the distance, illuminating a small portion of the room beyond the door. She put her hands on her hips for a moment in thought, then shrugged and walked through the gate.  
The stone was ice cold under Komugi's bare feet as she walked cautiously into the darkness. The stone that made up the entirety of the small cavern room was a dark gray, and covered with sea slime. The one torch that burned ahead of her lit up chains which dangled and creaked from the ceiling. Old wooden barrels and tattered tarps littered the floor in piles, and someone had precariously piled a stack of treasure in a chest upon a ledge near the torch. She regarded it curiously, and then noticed a set of sharp spikes above it. The treasure was obviously a clever trap. She approached it slowly and stared in wonder at a large ruby, bigger than her head. Her face reflected on its many facets, and she gasped as the dried blood she had choked out when wounded was still caked to her chin. Embarrassed by herself, she stepped away and began scrubbing at her face with the hem of her dress. Another sharp scream sounded, this time closer, and Komugi whipped around quickly.  
"Zola?" she called as she turned. What met her gaze wasn't either of the girls, but a skeleton wearing full chest and head armor, and holding a long pike. Komugi gasped in surprise as it smoothly cracked her on the back of her head, knocking her out.  
She came to again, moments later, as the Skeleton Pikeman released her arm to let her drop to the floor where he'd dragged her. Komugi pushed herself to her feet heavily, holding the back of her head and wincing.  
"You didn't have to be so rough about it." She told the Skeleton as he walked away from her. She glared at it for a moment before a light gasp caught her attention. Ahead of her, lit by ghostly blue light, was the shadowed figure of a tall man wearing a Corsair hat and crimson, richly decorated coat. He had Zola in his arms, hugged tightly against his chest, his head pressed against her neck, hiding his face. Zola stared dreamily into the air, her eyes glazed. Komugi scanned the floor quickly and grabbed a half rotted wooden plank from near her feet. "HEY! Pervert! Knock it off!" she shouted, running at him. Just as she swung her plank of wood he disappeared from before her, Zola falling limply to the ground. Komugi dropped the wood in a hurry to catch her before she hit the floor.  
"N… No!" Aisha whimpered. Komugi lifted her head quickly to see the man blink into existence again behind Aisha and wrap an arm around her waist. He gently pushed her head to the side by placing a hand on her jaw. There was a soft growling noise as he lowered his head to her neck, and then the sound of skin being pierced. Aisha gasped loudly before going limp in his embrace. Komugi's eyes widened. _This_ was Zaken?  
"Ah… it was so lovely.." Zola said, her voice whispery. Komugi's attention was drawn away from Zaken and Aisha and she looked down at the girl in her arms. Her eyes widened as two puncture wounds in her neck were still bleeding, further staining Komugi's dress.  
"Oh god, Zola." Komugi whimpered her voice cracking. She instinctively held a hand over the wound and willed her magic spell to come forth, but the collar was still secured tightly around her neck. She cursed and tried in vain to pull it off. "Zola, stay with me, don't fall asleep." Komugi commanded, ripping a piece of fabric from her back, where the bald man's sword had cut it. She wadded up the fabric and pressed it against her throat.  
"I saw life from the very beginning…now I understand it all…" Zola whispered, her eyes slowly shutting. She had a dream-like grin on her face which stayed as her body relaxed.  
"Zola, wake up! Don't do this!" Komugi commanded loudly to her, shaking her lightly. The piece of fabric she held to the wound was already completely saturated. A door creaked open behind her, and heavy footsteps walked towards her. Komugi looked up as a rotted hand reached down and snatched Zola from her lap. Behind her stood a green skinned zombie, a pirate's bandanna still tied around his partially rotted face. "No, she's not dead yet!" Komugi shouted at the Zombie, grabbing Zola's other arm and pulling. The thing's arm became dislodged with her yanking, rotted muscles snapping as the bone slid loose from it's socket as it's hand refused to release Zola. A bony hand shot out of the shadows around her and gripped her by the back of her neck, shaking her until she released Zola. The Pikeman who had brought her into the room in the first place hissed at her threateningly before dragging her along the floor by her neck. "Let go!" Komugi insisted, trying to pry the bony fingers from her flesh.  
There was a whoosh, and suddenly Zaken appeared next to her, still holding Aisha's limp body in his arms. He waved his arm and a large saber shot out of nowhere and through the center of the Pikeman's body. It gasped and wheezed before exploding into dust. He dropped Aisha and lifted Komugi up by her arm.  
"Oh no you don't." Komugi said, struggling against his grip. "You're not eating me…" she pulled her leg back, ready to knee him in the groin when he spun her around and pressed her back against his chest, one arm over her chest, pinning her to him.  
"You know better. They are mine until they move no more." Zaken said in a voice surprisingly softer than Komugi had expected. She noted that he had a slight accent, one that she had never heard before. The zombie, and several other skeletons stood in front of him, regarding him silently. Another skeleton darted forward and grabbed Aisha, hauling her through the door after the zombie pulling Zola had passed through.  
"No…" Komugi began, trying to step forward to stop them. Zaken's grip tightened over her chest, and she fell backwards onto him. They stayed like this until the last undead minion had shuffled out and the door swung shut heavily behind them. He released Komugi gently, and retreated away from her to a desk in the corner. He sat heavily and swung his booted feet around to rest on top of the desk, crossing them as he settled. Komugi stared at him cautiously as he regarded her expressionlessly.  
Zaken was handsome, his face long and slender. He had slight shadows under his eyes, but it only seemed to enhance his looks, not detract, as it would most people. Long blonde hair streamed out from beneath his large corsair hat and disappeared beneath the high collar of his coat. Komugi scooted around the room, uneasy under his intense stare.  
"Aren't you going to eat me too?" she asked, her voice coming out as barely more than a mumble.  
"No." Zaken stated simply, folding his hands over his stomach. He tilted his head back slightly, still watching her.  
"Are you going to rape and kill me then?" she asked again, her voice hard. Zaken surprised her by chuckling, although his expression did not change.  
"No." he repeated.  
"Can I leave then?" She inched towards the door as she asked.  
"No."  
"Is there anything I can do, or do I just sit here waiting for something to happen?" Komugi finally asked, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Zaken lowered his feet from his desk to sit upright in his chair. He waved a hand, and a small table flew from the shadows and settled itself in front of her. After that, a crystal flask and matching goblet placed itself on the table along with a bowl of fruit and a plate full of some kind of meat and cheese.  
"You may eat. You must be hungry and thirsty." Zaken stated. Komugi's eyes bugged out at the display, and how it had magically appeared before her.  
"How did you do that?" she asked quickly, looking at Zaken with wide eyes. He blinked a few times at her, surprised.  
"I'm sure you've heard the stories, my power comes from the Giants." He said, watching as she poured a cup full of water and then drink it eagerly. "Such a thing was simple for them, and is now for me."  
"Yeah, I've heard the stories." Komugi said with her mouth full of fruit and cheese. She avoided the meat, as she was unsure of its origin. "What would you want with immortality anyway? I'd think it would be boring to live forever. You'd run out of things to do." She swallowed half of what was in her mouth before taking a drink of water to swallow the rest. She paused to look at him, her cheek bulging out with food. "You're not going to kill me now for saying that, are you?"  
"No." Zaken repeated again, and Komugi relaxed. She returned to gorging herself. "Quite simply, it was what drives any pirate." He continued, again much to her surprise. "Greed." He stood, and began pacing slowly across the back of his cabin. "To gain power. To become the strongest person there ever could be, to gain whatever my heart desired, I would embrace the forbidden magic of the Giants." He paused to raise his hand and clutch the air in a tight fist.  
"Wow, so you didn't want to work for it, and instead tried to take the easy route, huh." Komugi stated more than asked, pausing in her eating. Zaken lowered his hand to look at her quickly, suddenly de-materializing from where he stood and re-appearing in front of her. He slammed his hands on the table and leaned towards her face, all in one motion.  
"What would a young girl like you, who has not seen all that life has to offer, know about what it is I speak of?" His voice was a low growl, his face creased in anger. Komugi leaned away from him, but stared directly into his eyes. They were a bright blue, like the warm ocean she dreamed about often in her fantasies of love. "You have not yet begun to realize that there is no reward for hard work. There is either easy or failure for some people, and unfortunately the gods decreed I would be one of them." He backed away from her and walked to his seat, where he sat again.  
"Well then…if your plan was conquest once you gained this power, why didn't you go and plunder like you planned?" She lifted an apple and bit into it loudly. "It seems like kind of a waste to stay here all this time, if you went through so much to get that forbidden magic in the first place." Zaken answered her with a short chuckle.  
"After the fact, it no longer seemed worth the trouble." was all he said before disappearing into nothingness. "Use these lodgings as your own, Komugi, but do not go out the exit. You will be safe here, but I cannot guarantee your safety in the hands of my still mutinous crew." Zaken said. His voice came from all around her, its source unknown.  
Komugi finished everything on the table save for a few pieces of fruit and the meat, and then began exploring her surroundings. She was in a well-furnished, large cabin that creaked and shifted as if it were on a boat. Zaken had treasures and antiques from all over Aden and Elmore, and even some that seemed to come from as far away as Gracia. A large window sat at the other end of the room, statues, books and strange elaborate boxes sitting upon its sill. Stretching, her stomach full, Komugi wandered to the window and climbed up to kneel upon its ledge. She found that she was on a pirate ship, which had somehow broken down inside of the island cavern. Below the ship, in shallow water, wandered the undead crew. Their movements were slow, and they swayed to and fro like tree boughs in the wind. She idly wondered what it was they thought of now that they were dead, or if they even realized they were dead.  
Zaken moved about his crew below, shouting something and pointing towards the underside of the boat, just out of view. The zombies in sight suddenly began running in the direction he pointed, surprisingly fast for how slow they had been moving just moments ago. Their torsos swayed on their hips quicker as they ran, their limp arms moving like pendulums. Komugi pressed her forehead against the glass, trying to watch Zaken as he followed his crew at a slow walk. Something that looked like a small girl with blonde hair and wearing a red dress suddenly flew up from the water below and screeched at her. Startled, Komugi stumbled backwards from the window as the girl-creatures hands unhinged themselves, and blades shot out of the arms. She screeched again and spun at the window, scratching it with her knives. Komugi noticed she was a marionette of some sort, her arms and mouth jointed like a puppet. She scooted backwards quickly, afraid the doll would break through the glass. Her hand bumped a small round side table next to the richly covered couch in the middle of the cabin, toppling it. A small box tumbled onto the lush carpet and fell open, and a melody began to play. With the sound of the music, the doll screeched a different noise and flew upwards and out of view.  
Komugi curiously crawled over to the music box and lifted it up; a pearl necklace and gold pocket watch tumbling from inside. She smiled at the melody and gathered the jewelry up as she carried the box over to a wall mirror. Another table sat against the wall underneath it, and she placed the music box upon it and began humming the tune that played. She inspected the pearls for a moment before looking into the mirror and hooking them around her neck. Still humming, she smiled at her reflection, then backed up a few steps to do a twirling dance. Her dress, still wet with Zola's blood, clung to her leg and she looked down at it with a frown. Taking a breath she shut her eyes and lifted her hands to the air, as if placing them on a partner's shoulder and hand, and then began to move in a waltz fashion. She smiled, finding that she enjoyed herself much more when she didn't have to see reminders of the night's events still clinging to the fabric of her clothes.  
Her foot hit something heavy as she moved, and she paused, opening her eyes. She looked down to find a strange gray tablet by her foot, a pulsing green jewel in the center of it, and strange vein crevices criss-crossing it's surface in a bizarre pattern. The crevices glowed with the same green light as the jewel in the center. She kneeled and picked it up, and a piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Holding the tablet to the side, she lifted the parchment. Upon the back was written 'Winds of Sayha, be your guide.' Making an interested noise, she flipped the paper over to find a near-realistic black and white portrait of a girl with beautiful eyes smiling. She had large wings upon her back, similar to the ones she'd seen on the statues of Einhasad in the churches about the land. Placing the portrait back on the floor, she returned to staring at the tablet. It's pulsing was hypnotic, and she ran her hand across it's surface. Where her skin touched, strange words suddenly glowed, as if activated by the heat of her hand. Eyes wide, she stared at the words as they re-arranged themselves into something she could read. Her lips parted and she took a breath, readying herself to read what was written, aloud.  
"It would be wise, to not poke around in one's private possessions." Zaken suddenly said in a low voice, grabbing her hand and pulling her around to face him. He took the tablet from her hand roughly, and walked over to a portrait of himself on the far wall. It swung out to reveal a black safe behind it.  
"So~rry." Komugi stated sarcastically, folding her arms across her chest. "If it's so private, why don't you put it away someplace where nobody can find it, instead of leaving it out like you did?"  
"I thought you would know that, until now, I have been the only one to enter these quarters." Zaken said seriously, placing the tablet inside of the safe and then shutting it. He walked over to the music box and shut it with a loud snap, then opened again to stare at it. "Where is the necklace?"  
"Oh, here. Sorry, it was pretty so I thought I'd try it on." Komugi said, reaching behind her neck to take it off. Zaken snatched it from her hand as she held it out to him. "Hey, what's your problem? You about pulled my hand off!" she said, annoyed, and held her hand protectively to her chest. Zaken shoved the necklace back into the music box and shut it quickly, placing his hand over it. His back was to, her, and he took deep, controlled breaths.  
"Do not touch anything in this room unless I give you permission to." He said in a low voice. Komugi turned her head slightly and squinted. Was it just her imagination or had he just become a bit bulkier?  
"Well gee, you leave someone in a room and tell them they can't leave, what did you expect me to do, sit with my thumb up my ass?" Komugi retorted, putting her hands on her hips. Zaken stood upright then, and then turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised and mouth slightly parted in surprise. His skin moved strange on his face as he turned his head, as if it were returning back from a different form. "If you're going to keep me here, you could at least give me something interesting to do. I'm not so easily amused like my sister, she could sit for hours and just pick her nose and be entertained." Komugi frowned as Zaken stared at her with large eyes, his jaw clamped shut. The muscles in the side of his face had begun to twitch, and she lowered her eyelids at them. "What's your problem?" she challenged.  
Zaken looked away from her quickly then, putting a hand on the table in front of him and leaning upon it, his other hand covering his mouth. Still frowning, Komugi wandered over to his side to look at his face. Her own eyes went large as she discovered Zaken staring at the table, his eyes tearing up and face turning pink. His shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.  
"Are you….laughing?" Komugi asked, impressed. Zaken turned away enough to hide his face from her, one hand still placed on the table as if to support himself. "What did I say that was so funny?" she asked, walking around to his other side to look at him again. Against her better judgment, she was finding his shyness at displaying mirth a cute quality in him, and she wanted to see more. He had lost his frightening presence in that moment, and looked just as human as she.  
"One's…thumb…up…one's…" he managed, his voice muffled from behind his gloved hand. He stumbled away from her and leaned upon the doorframe. "I saw it…you…sitting…" Komugi gasped as she folded her arms across her chest.  
"You imagined ME with my thumb up my ass? How DARE you!" she stated loudly, planting her feet on the floor. "You really ARE a pervert! A big undead pervert! I demand you imagine something else, right now!" She stamped her foot with the final word. Zaken didn't respond to her, and instead pushed himself out of the cabin, leaving the door open. Komugi followed him as he stumbled through the large room beyond his quarters. "I mean it, you know! I'll not have some vampire pervert ruin my image by imagining me doing something disgusting!" she called after him. He didn't seem to hear her and stumbled down a hallway connected to the room at the other side. Komugi growled and spun around, slamming the door behind her. To prove that she really was angry, she flipped the lock on the door. "That'll teach you." She growled at the keyhole. She stomped angrily to the couch and plopped on it, her arms still folded across her chest.  
She stared at the scratches on the window that the doll had left for a long time, her cheeks puffed out as she pouted. Growing tired, she finally let the rest of her anger out in a large sigh and fell over onto her side. The portrait of the winged girl lay at the foot of the couch, and Komugi picked it up lazily, resting her chin on an embroidered silk decorative pillow. She stared at the girl's eyes for a moment before sighing through her nose, the whoosh of air sounding loudly over the fabric of the pillow. Rolling onto her back she situated herself until she was comfortable, and stared at the portrait once more.  
"I'll bet you didn't have this kind of trouble." She told it. "Did you know Zaken too, or were you just some pretty picture he picked up in a town somewhere?" She paused for a moment, trying to imagine how the girl would respond. "Why'd he keep me alive, anyway? He ate the other two girls I was with… Unless I'm being saved for a special dinner or something. Clerics must taste different." She rolled onto her side once more, curling up and holding the portrait gently to her chest.

"Sharmin…" she whimpered, tears welling up in her throat and spilling out of her eyes onto the pillow. She curled into a tight ball and finally let all the tears she'd held back since being separated from her sister come forth, fear and loneliness she never realized she felt coming out in one great rush. She then fell into a deep, restful sleep, not hearing Zaken as he entered the room again, or feeling it when he pulled a blanket over her shoulders. In her dreams, a handsome boy did the same for her, and then planted a tender kiss on her temple. The boy in her dream also sat and watched her sleep for quite some time, with a gentle look on his face. Satisfied, Komugi sighed and snuggled beneath the blanket, never once questioning if she was dreaming about reality, or if her mind had made it up. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Don't you have a bathtub around here?"  
Zaken looked up from an unrolled parchment to stare at her in mild surprise. It had been several days since her arrival. "A bath..tub..?" he asked slowly.  
"Yeah, you know, one of those large, human-sized cups, usually made out of steel or some sort of metal….holds a lot of hot water? People usually use them to remove unpleasant smells and to make their skin and hair nice and clean." Komugi stated, wrinkling her nose as she pulled on her dress. "I've been here for almost a week, and I haven't been able to clean up once. I STINK and I feel nasty! Give me a bath or I'm going to start hunting through your 'private' belongings again." Zaken stared at her silently for a moment before disappearing from behind his desk. Her threat seemed to work, as he opened the door to the large room a moment later, behind him sat a large iron tub full of steaming, sudsy water. Komugi clasped her hands under her chin, her eyes sparkling. She happily trotted over to the tub and stuck her hand in the water for a moment, testing the temperature, before standing and reaching for the hem of her skirt to pull her dress over her head. It had once been a beautiful yellow dress with fancy embroidery around the skirt hem and sleeve edges, but now, the places not stained from blood were a dull, snot color. The dress was part of her Mithril robe set, but was useless after she'd left her chest armor and boots behind.  
Komugi turned to look over her shoulder, her skirt just about lifted over her hips, to find Zaken still standing at the doorway, watching her with an unreadable expression.  
"Do you MIND?" she asked, dropping the hem of her skirt and turning to stare at him, annoyed. "A girl likes to have some privacy while bathing." Zaken cleared his throat and looked away from her.  
"My crew comes in here sometimes. I wanted to be sure you were not bothered." He said, not looking at her.  
"Well then go rally them or something so I can bathe in peace." She stated in a deciding tone. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot on the ground. Zaken disappeared into the cabin for a moment and then walked across the large room at a brisk pace.  
"There are towels in my quarters. Close the door behind you when you're finished." He said, pausing but not looking over his shoulder. He then hurried down the hall, as if trying to get as far as he could from her, quickly. Komugi frowned and waited until he'd rounded the corner at the end of the hallway before pulling her dress over her head. The short golden brown under tunic was dropped upon the dress heap a second later.  
Komugi eagerly jumped in the tub and relaxed against the back, enjoying the warm water. Peering over the other side of the tub, Komugi discovered soap chips in a silver bowl waiting for her. She grinned to herself. This guy didn't say much, but he sure knew what girls liked to have handy.  
The week with Zaken had largely been spent in silence. He seemed to do nothing but mull over parchments for hours, or not even be present at all, while he was awake. While he slept, usually during the day, Komugi amused herself by playing with exotic puzzles he'd collected or reading from his vast book collection. He didn't talk much, and Komugi had become accustomed to speaking more to herself than to him, hating the silence that usually surrounded them. Zaken had provided her with everything she needed in that week, but still did not give away the reason why he was keeping her in his cabin. She grew comfortable in his presence, any worry that he was going to kill her one day slowly fading. She decided that if he were going to eat her, he would've done it long ago, not continue to make nightly trips and come back, blood sometimes dripping down his chin. She hadn't bothered to ask about the fate of Zola and Aisha, after all, it was rather obvious that if they weren't dead, she'd see them at least once. She grimaced as she scrubbed her hair, trying not to think what sort of fate could've befallen them at the hands of his zombified crew.  
Komugi found herself growing increasingly curious about Zaken. She'd heard stories of how much of a fearsome "Grand Pirate" he had been in the past. How he'd sailed all throughout the neutral waters, visiting lands that had never been seen before. He wouldn't speak of himself when asked, dismissing her questions with answers that told her nothing. He seemed to be ashamed of himself for what he'd become, but at the same time he protected that Giant's treasure as if it were his own child. The greed in him still ran strong, and he wouldn't give up the treasure for anything. He seemed to both loathe and enjoy his vampire status, loving every minute of battle when some wayward group attempted to breech his caverns in search of treasure, but seemingly hating the moments where he had to be one-on-one with Komugi. She'd watched three groups of people come into the Island since her arrival, each one of them either killed or chased off by his crew. Zaken stood down and commanded them, but the adventurers seemed to not see or hear him. She had requested several times to go with him when he left the Island, but he refused, disappearing as the question left her lips. She was beginning to understand the true meaning of 'cabin fever', and was afraid she would go crazy with the monotony of how she was living.  
Scrubbed clean with the lavender scented soap chips, Komugi stood up in the tub and wrung her hair out. It had grown long since she left Talking Island, and now trailed halfway down her back. It would be wavy now that it was clean, and a bright rose color. She paused as a breeze blew into the room, causing her skin to break out in gooseflesh, and peered down the hallway. She could barely make out the sounds of Zaken's boots as he walked heavily back towards her. Heart suddenly pounding with adrenaline, Komugi ran on tip-toes into the cabin, her arms clamped down over her breasts, and shut the door behind her.  
Just as Zaken had promised, upon the couch, folded neatly, was a soft towel. She wrapped it around her body gratefully and sat down. Next to her, on the side table, was what appeared to be a folded white sheet. Komugi curiously pulled it off the table, as it had not been there when she went out for her bath, and found the sheet to actually be a dress. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink, as clean undergarments were folded neatly underneath the dress.  
"I knew he was a pervert." She said roughly, and smiled. Hearing him walking into the large room, she quickly dropped the towel, put the undergarments on and slid the dress over her head. It was a form of strapless dress, but tight enough in the bodice to keep from sliding down and exposing her breasts. Long, opera glove like sleeves were attached to the dress and embroidered in a silvery Celtic design. The dress was like a ball gown, and split down the front to reveal layers of ruffles. Delicate looking beads hung from the point of the bodice and extended around the sides to come back together and hook at the small of her back. Komugi rushed to the wall mirror and stood back enough so she could see most of her dress. She stared at herself in awe, her still wet hair clinging to her shoulders. Although no image showed in the mirror, Komugi felt the whoosh of cold air that accompanied Zaken when he entered a room.  
"Did you…. Is it ok…" Komugi stuttered, still staring at herself in the mirror, "I can keep this, right?" She waited a moment for Zaken to answer. When silence met her ears, she moved to turn and look at him, but was halted when she heard the tune from the music box begin and felt the pearls locked within them be placed around her neck. She put a hand to them and looked at herself in the mirror once more as Zaken fastened them. It was strange, since he was a vampire he had no reflection, so her hair seemed to move on it's own as he pushed it aside. "Are you sure it's ok for me to be wearing this?" Komugi asked, turning to look at him. He once again stared at her with an unreadable expression. "I don't want you taking my neck off this time trying to take them back." She warned, putting a hand protectively to her throat. A tiny smile graced the corners of Zaken's mouth and he turned away from her to walk to his desk.  
"Yes, you make keep that dress. It will do nothing but rot away here, like everything else is fated to do." He stated, sitting. Komugi huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.  
"Do you always have to be so morbid? I mean really. 'Rot away like everything is fated to do.' That's a pretty dreary outlook on life. No wonder you're always so grumpy." She stated, frowning at him. She returned to the couch and sat down heavily, running her fingers through her hair to remove the tangles. Without looking, Zaken made a motion with two of his fingers. A drawer in the wall slid open, and silver brush flew out and landed gently on her lap. She stared at it in surprise for a moment before picking it up and using it on her hair. "You know, you're gonna get lazy using those powers all the time. That is, if you're not already lazy." She stated, matter-of-fact, working through a tangle. Zaken waved a hand again to shut the music box with a loud snap, causing her to jump.  
"They're convenient." He said, looking out his window at the cavern below. Komugi finished brushing her hair and put the brush on the table next to the couch. She sat in silence for a moment, staring at the back of Zaken's hat before standing and making her way slowly to him.  
"Say, do you know how to dance?" she asked brightly, leaning over with her arms clasped behind her back. Zaken glanced at her sidelong, but didn't face her.  
"With swords, yes. I never found a purpose for ballroom dancing." He answered, leaning his chin upon his hand and resting his elbow on the arm of his chair.  
"Well, let's change that then." Komugi offered, holding her hand out to him. "They taught us dancing in school for fun, and I was the best in class." She smiled at him, trying to show her sincerity. Zaken stared at her hand for a moment, as if contemplating, then pushed himself to his feet and walked past her. "HEY!" she shouted, racing after him and grabbing his arm. "Come on Zaken! I've been here for a week and all's I've done is eat, sleep, read and play with puzzles. You don't talk to me, and I'm really freaking bored!" she said, her voice belying on a whine. "If you're going to keep me here, at least grace me with some sort of company, you know?" Her face darkened with her next thought and she released his arm to glare at him. "Unless your plan is to fatten me up and eat me later, cuz if that's so, then you'd better let me go right now…"  
"Eat you?" Zaken said in surprise, his eyebrows lifting. He lowered his head then and began to chuckle softly. He raised a hand to his head as he lifted it again and tilted it backwards, his chuckle turning into a laugh. "If I had intended to do that, I would've done it the first night you were here." He stated, amused.  
"Well then, why are you keeping me here?" Komugi asked, not finding any of this funny in the least bit. She balled her fists at her sides, her drying hair pricking out as Zaken didn't answer her, and instead turned away. "Will you stop doing that? The whole 'mysterious aura' thing is getting REALLY old. You've overused it and it wants to die." She growled. He glanced over his shoulder to look at her, the tiny amused smile gracing his mouth once more.  
"And what shall you teach me to dance with? I have no music." He said, his voice still light with amusement. Komugi looked around the room, and her eyes landed on the music box.  
"That will do." She said, pointing at it. Zaken stared at it himself for a moment, as if considering, then turned to face her fully.  
"Alright then, Miss Komugi, if you would so honor me with this dance…" he said politely, bowing to her and holding out a hand. Komugi blushed at his sudden change in attitude and took it.  
He led her through the door into the large room as if he were escorting royalty, one hand bent behind his back, the other extended, her hand placed gently on top of it. The music box floated behind them and settled on the floor near the door and opened, it's melody tinkling loudly in the large room. He led her to the center and released her hand, bowing to her. Komugi, still blushing, took a moment to remember her dancing etiquette and return his bow with a curtsey. He stared at her without expression after that, and her blush turned into a more pronounced face reddening as she remembered he didn't know how to dance. Averting her eyes from his, she nervously placed his hand on her waist, and held his other hand out properly with her other.  
"Alright, well, technically you're supposed to know what you're doing, but since I'm the teacher, just follow my lead until you get the hang of it, ok?" she said quickly, placing her free hand on his shoulder.  
"Of course." He said simply, and began following her as she led them in a waltz. Zaken was a quick learner, and soon Komugi had settled back into proper dance form. He gazed down at her, his face showing no expression, and she looked away several times, blushing under his stare. _Geez, this is the pervert vampire, why am I being so nervous?_ She scolded herself, biting her lower lip.  
"Are you sure you didn't know how to dance? You learned awfully fast.." Komugi said, breaking the silence in an attempt to ease her nervousness.  
"One does not become a Grand Pirate if they are slow." He responded, tilting her backwards. Her blush deepened. "I may have learned once, but it was a long time ago and I do not remember."  
"What do you remember?" Komugi asked curiously, staring into his face. He stopped dancing with that question, and let go of her. The music box snapped shut again, and Zaken turned away from her. "What, what did I say?" she asked desperately, walking after him. "I don't know what your hang-up is, but if you don't tell me Zaken, I won't know what to avoid saying that disturbs you so much." He paused at the doorway to his cabin.  
"There are some things, Komugi, which I cannot speak of any longer." he said. His voice sounded forced, and had a strange growl to it, even though its tone was not angry.  
"Maybe if you talked about it you could accept things and move on." She offered, walking quickly after him. The hem of her dress slid under her feet and she tripped ungracefully. Zaken appeared in front of her before she hit the ground and caught her. She clung to his coat, her cheek pressed against his exposed bare chest. His skin was cold and clammy, and it unnerved her. Zaken noticeably stiffened against her, sucking in a sharp breath and holding tightly to her arms. "You ok?" she asked, raising her head slowly to look at him. His eyes had begun to turn red, and he stared at her bare neck and shoulder intensely. Komugi stared back bravely, challenging him to even try with her eyes. He released her arms and turned away from her, entering his cabin.  
"I must go." He said, his voice still with the growling edge. Komugi glanced at the clock on his desk and then looked at him in worry.  
"It's already five; the sun will be rising soon." She said, hugging herself. Zaken had not left to feed for two days now, and she could imagine it was taking a toll on him. She worried that he was going to go back on his word and use her as a backup food source. Zaken stared at the clock just as intensely as he'd stared at her neck, and cursed low under his breath. Without another look to her, he retreated to the corner of his cabin, where a bed nook sat.  
"In the second drawer on the wall you will find a gold pendant. Wear it on your neck as you sleep." He said in a low voice before disappearing into the nook. Komugi watched him leave with first worry, then annoyance.  
"I can't believe you'd have that little self-control. Some gentleman you are." She grumbled. Sure enough, in the second drawer was a strange pendant she recognized as the symbol of Einhasad. Knowing the Giant's fear of Einhasad, and how his vampiric status was from Giant's residue, she figured it had a warding effect on him. She replaced the pearls with the pendant, and then curled up on the couch to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Komugi bolted upright on the couch at the sound of loud shouting. Her heart thudded in her chest from the startlement and she took a few breaths to calm herself before getting up. According to the clock on Zaken's desk, it was late afternoon. She made her way to the window and looked out. Below her was a large group of people, bigger than any she'd ever seen before. There were races of all types, and classes she'd never seen in person before plowing through the zombies below. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked worriedly at Zaken. He was still sound asleep in his nook, not hearing the commotion below.

"Zaken." Komugi called softly, unsure of how he'd react to being woken up quickly. He didn't stir. Komugi bit her thumbnail and glanced out the window again. The majority of the group had moved on, a few lingering behind to attempt to open treasure chests and haul the wounded out. She began to pace, still chewing on her thumbnail. Zaken had bewitched the doors leading into the inner cabins of the ship to not open until midnight, when he'd be fully rested and ready to take on whatever group had come to challenge him. She knew they were safe until then, but Zaken had not fed properly for three days now, and it worried her that he might still use her as backup food. Of course, she'd fight him tooth and nail. No pervert vampire was going to take her that easily. She'd be sure to take a few important body parts with her if that time ever came.

Six O'clock came and went. Time seemed to drag on forever, at an agonizingly slow pace. Zaken still didn't stir, and Komugi idly began to wonder if he had died for real. She couldn't hear the shouts of the group any longer, and the zombies they thought they'd destroyed for good reanimated themselves and began wandering about once again, the attack forgotten. Without Zaken there to command them, they were useless walking piles of rotted flesh. When the clock chimed eleven, she approached his bed timidly and squinted at him without getting too close.

"Zaken, wake up!" she whispered loudly. Zaken again, didn't stir. Komugi chewed the inside of her lip for a moment before frowning. "Wake up or I'm going to start going through your stuff!" she threatened, standing up tall and folding her arms across her chest. "And I mean it this time. I'll go through _everything_." She stomped over to his desk and put her fingers through the handle. "Here I go, starting with your desk." She announced, and pulled the drawer open slowly. "You'd better wake up and stop me." She looked up as she pulled, watching his bed for signs of movement. When none came, she sighed in frustration and stood up straight. Grumbling to herself, she looked down at the partially open drawer, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Folded neatly inside were the tiny red ribbons that Seven had worn in her hair. She slowly pulled them out, her eyes large. Tears suddenly sprung to her eyes and she looked from the ribbons to Zaken's sleeping form, her lips parted slightly.

Loud pounding suddenly sounded from the door shutting the group from the room and Komugi jumped. She glanced quickly at the clock, and her heart leapt into her throat. It was ten until midnight, and Zaken showed no signs of life.

"Dammit, I'm not going to sit here and let myself be slaughtered waiting for your lazy ass to get up." Komugi hissed, dropping the ribbons and rushing to an armor display. She glanced over it thoughtfully for a moment, and grabbed a heavy sword from it. "Zaken, wake up dammit!" she shouted this time. Making a disgusted noise when he still didn't move, Komugi took a deep breath and exited the cabin into the larger room. She shut and locked the door, and dropped the key between some floor planks for safekeeping. The pounding continued, and she could hear the sound of laughter and jeering from the other side. This would be the first time she'd seen people other than the girls or Zaken in weeks, and she was unsure of what would happen. She just hoped that whatever did happen, it wouldn't stain the dress. She shut her eyes tightly in a wince, as the clock began to chime midnight.

The pounding on the door silenced, and Komugi could hear it creaking as it opened. She gulped and readied herself in a battle stance, the sword extended in front of her. The moment of silence seemed to stretch forever, but only truly lasted until the clock finished chiming. The hallway was suddenly filled with loud battle shouts that reverberated loudly through the room Komugi stood in. They died out as soon as the first group entered the room quickly to find a pink-haired tiny human challenging them boldly while wearing a ball gown. They stared at her dumbly, some with their mouths agape in shock.

"What's this? Zaken has a pet?" someone called from behind the people in front.

"Perhaps she's a vampire too?" another offered.

"Why don't we find out?" a human at the front said evilly, lifting his dagger with a wicked gleam in his eye. He crouched low and dashed at Komugi, his dagger ready to cut her. Komugi gripped her sword tightly, her arm muscles tightening. She didn't know swordplay, but she'd swing and hope she cut something.

"Cole, don't." a commanding voice came from behind the crowd. The human skidded to a stop just feet before Komugi and jumped backwards, glaring over his shoulder.

"You're too soft Arvalo; she could kill us at any moment!" Cole insisted darkly. A light elf Spellsinger with blonde hair walked slowly through the crowd and stood at the front.

"We don't know that she's anyone associated with Zaken. She could be a prisoner." Arvalo stated calmly, giving Cole a no-nonsense look. Cole growled and retreated farther back. Komugi didn't waver in her stance, and continued to hold the sword ready, a glare on her face. Her arms had begun to ache, and she was afraid they would visibly shake from exertion if something didn't happen soon. "You, girl. Who are you and why are you here?" Arvalo asked gently, smiling at her.

"Oh come on, don't socialize! Where's Zaken? Why aren't we killing stuff yet?" a voice from behind him suddenly shouted. It was followed by a loud agreement from the others. Arvalo looked over his shoulder at them and opened his mouth to yell back.

"I'm here!" a female voice suddenly proclaimed. People began to part from the back forward at the sound of 'excuse me' from the voice. Another blonde elf magic user of some sort burst from the crowd and bent over slightly, her hands on her knees, and panted from exertion. She stood as she breathed in deeply and grinned brightly at Arvalo. "Sorry, I had to heal Luther, he got himself into it aga-" she left off as she stared at Komugi, her eyes going large. "Hey! I know you!" she exclaimed. Komugi lowered her sword slightly, now recognizing the elf as Glarawen. Glarawen paused, her smile fading, and put a finger to her chin. "What was your name again?" she pondered.

"Oh my god, we came here to fight Zaken, not socialize with his pets!" Cole suddenly shouted. He pulled a bow from over his shoulder and loaded it with an arrow. "If you won't start things, then I will." He said darkly, aiming straight at Komugi's head. Komugi's eyes widened and she instinctively held her hand out to cast an ice spell. Familiar pain jolted through her head and she cursed, having forgotten the collar was still around her neck.

"I said, DON'T!" Arvalo shouted, moving towards Cole. He was ignored, and Cole let his arrow fly just as others in the group began running at her, swords out. Komugi stared at the approaching arrow with large eyes, her legs suddenly feeling like lead.

The air in front of her suddenly flickered and Komugi found herself facing the back of Zaken's coat. He caught the arrow smoothly and snapped it in two, earning a shocked noise from Cole. Zaken glanced slightly at her over his shoulder, which seemed to be growing bulkier. She stared at him, unable to voice the sarcastic comment that was wishing to be voiced.

"Zaken!" Arvalo suddenly shouted. "Everyone, do as we discussed! Davil, you stay at the back! Mad, remain near a healer, we'll need you for backup!" Komugi was instantly forgotten, and the group began running through the room towards Zaken. He pushed Komugi into the corner roughly, her back slamming against the splintering wood as he dashed in the opposite direction, blinking out of existence and then back in at the other end of the room. Momentarily confused, the group scattered into chaos before someone called their attention to Zaken's new location. Komugi slid to the floor, her back to the wall. One hand still gripped the sword tightly, and lay limply at her side. Her eyes were large, and she suddenly felt true fear, watching the group mercilessly attack Zaken. His body had changed shape, and he looked to be a large hulking monster with the starts of black bat wings sprouting from his coat. His handsome face had turned into something similar to an ogre. Swords spun around him as he attacked, knocking people back. Komugi suddenly recalled the night in the Lizardman Dwelling, when Seven seemed to have grown as swords swirled around her. _It couldn't be…_she thought, her arm shaking. _There's no way…is there?_

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly, pushing herself up by sliding against the wall. She couldn't understand, did this group truly want Zaken's treasure this badly? It had to be, he never attacked anyone without just cause, if it were to eat or to protect his home. _Poor guy,_ she thought, _no wonder he hates visitors, the only people who come through here just come out of greed or glory-seeking._ Realization slowly washed over her. Could Zaken be keeping her near because she was the only one who'd shown him kindness? Zola and Aisha had insulted him while they were locked up, but Komugi had tried to see things from his point of view. Could that have been it? "STOP!" she finally screamed, a sob welling in her throat. With the sound of her voice, a well-aimed sword suddenly lanced Zaken through the chest. His form returned to human, and he fell to his knees, his swords clattering to the floor around him. "NO!" Komugi screamed, tears falling down her face. She gathered her skirt up to run to him, but was pushed back by a large Orc. A few of the group members glared at her over their shoulders, putting away their weapons or healing injuries.

"Good work, everyone. You all performed marvelously." Arvalo said, taking a breath as Glarawen healed a wound on his arm. "Let's go." He commanded as he stood.

"Wait, what about the treasure? Zaken's dead! Let's get that Giant's treasure!" Cole shouted, planting his feet stubbornly in the ground. Komugi stood against the wall and looked down, clenching her fists.

"And what would you do with it that cursed Giants treasure?" Arvalo asked, looking at Cole evenly. Cole didn't answer, and clenched his jaw shut, the muscle twitching. "You would do well to forget about that." Arvalo stated, turning and walking away. "We came to rid the world of an evil menace, not steal from him."

"What about the girl?" Glarawen asked worriedly, glancing at Komugi. Arvalo smiled and put an arm around Glarawen.

"She's free to follow us, we'll help her out." He said loudly, winking at Glarawen, who grinned. Komugi remained standing against the wall stubbornly, her fists clenched as she controlled her angry tears. Cole stared at Arvalo in pure hatred for a moment before whipping out his dagger and turning towards Komugi.

"Where's that treasure?" he shouted as he dashed at her. Komugi responded quickly, and dove for the sword, but was grabbed by the arm and put in a stranglehold, the dagger tip against her neck, right below the collar. "Where is it, you bitch? I know you know where it is!" Cole said shrilly, pressing the tip of the dagger in to draw blood.

"Cole, stop it!" Arvalo shouted, turning around. Without hesitation, he shut his eyes and began waving his arms slightly, chanting a spell. The cabin began to shake, interrupting Arvalo's spell and knocking much of the group off of their feet. There was a sudden gust of cold air and several people were tossed across the room from it. Zaken, still bloodied from the battle, rose into the air, his eyes, including the whites, completely blood red. "Fall back!" Arvalo commanded, and the group began to run in fear through the hallway. They had survived one battle, but they were sure they couldn't handle another so close to the last. "Cole, fall back!" Arvalo shouted again, but was ignored.

Zaken teleported over to where Cole had Komugi held, and grabbed him by his throat. Shocked, Cole released Komugi, who sunk to her knees, staring in shock at Zaken. He lifted Cole high into the air, his feet kicking as he tried to breathe around Zaken's grip.

"No!" Arvalo yelled, and began casting a spell to distract the pirate. Zaken squeezed his hand tightly, his face without expression, and crushed Cole's neck. Komugi winced and hid her face as blood poured down from him. Zaken let him drop limply and stared down at Komugi, his face still unreadable. A bolt of lightning suddenly hit him, and he stumbled slightly before waving his arm in a wide arc. A gust of wind came from it, and blew Arvalo, Glarawen, and the few people left in the room out, the door slamming shut behind them. Zaken collapsed to his knees as the door latched, and Komugi scrambled to his side to catch him before he fell.

"You bastard, I thought you had died!" Komugi scolded, her voice thick. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Zaken slumped over her shoulder heavily, and Komugi held him upright. "I can't even heal you properly." She whimpered. "This damn collar…" There was a loud clack, and suddenly the collar fell onto the floor. Komugi's eyes widened at it. "Well it's about time you…" she began, then stopped, her eyes growing even larger as she remembered the wound Cole had made on her neck. She pushed Zaken away enough to give him a sidelong glance. He was staring hard at her neck, his eyes red. "Zaken…" Komugi winced, knowing the inevitable was useless to fight now.

Zaken lifted a hand and slid it up her chest, hand brushing over her breast and collarbone, leaving a tingling sensation. He cupped his hand around her tiny neck, and then pushed her close to his mouth. She clenched her fists, holding onto his coat and shut her eyes tightly as she felt his breath on her skin. There was a sharp pain as his fangs pierced her neck, and her eyes widened again. The pain shot up through her neck and into her face, stopping somewhere behind her right eye. Her hands began to shake from it, and her eyes teared.

"Zaken, it hurts…" she choked, tears dripping down her face. "Zaken, it HURTS!" she cried, trying to push against him. He changed his hold on her and held her against his chest in an embrace, like he had done with Zola, and the pain began to subside. A strange feeling washed over her, and her eyes unfocused. A white fog suddenly descended over her, and she as if she were falling.


	6. Chapter 6

Komugi opened her eyes to find herself laying in a flowerbed. The white fog rolled away from her as she sat up and looked around. The bed turned into a field of exotic dusty red and yellow flowers, ones she had never seen before. She stood as a shadow passed over her, and shielded her eyes as she glanced into the sky. A person, almost human-looking, flew gracefully overhead, large white wings upon their back. Komugi instantly recalled the portrait in Zaken's cabin, of the pretty-eyed girl. She gathered up her skirts and began running after the creature, not letting it out of her sight.

She paused at the top of a hill, staring in wonder as a strange city came into view. It was built up on poles, the buildings built high and accessible only from the air. There were more winged people here, flying lazily through the sky, or playing some sort of rolling tag game. Komugi smiled wistfully at it for a moment before shaking her head rapidly. Catching sight of the winged person that she saw before, Komugi gathered her skirt up once again and dashed into the city.

The poles and large hut-shaped buildings were a bright golden color, and shone in the midday light. Komugi craned her head as far as she could to look up. The buildings had to be over a hundred feet into the sky. All around the building poles the strange flowers grew, filling the air with fragrance. She turned quickly at the sound of raucous laughter, and found a large group of non-winged people making their way towards her. She dashed behind one of the poles as they neared, and peeked around it with large eyes. In front of her, in bright daylight, was Zaken and a large crew of men. The men jeered and pushed each other, making rude noises and stomping purposefully on the flowers. Komugi felt a jolt of sympathy for the crushed flowers.

"You could at least control them better." Komugi grumbled, glaring at Zaken. "They're destroying everything they touch." He held a hand up as a group of the winged people gathered along the edge of one of the buildings, and dropped down gracefully to face the pirates. The pirates went silent, aside from a snicker here and there, and watched the winged ones with greedy eyes.

"I come from the world of man, and I seek that which you hide." Zaken stated in a bold voice to the most decorated of the winged people. They looked at one another behind their leader in confusion, but didn't say anything. "I am ready to barter for that which I seek, but if no agreement can be met, please be warned that I will take it by force." Behind Zaken, the pirates snickered, and one licked his dagger while staring at a pretty pale blonde haired female of the winged race.

"It has been eons since I was forced to speak in the rough tongue of man…" the richly decorated one said in a thickly accented voice. "We do not know of that which you speak, human stranger."

"Don't lie to me!" Zaken suddenly shouted, his eyes wild. "I know you have the Giant's treasure here! The maps and legends have pointed to this very place!" He drew his sword, and the pirates behind him rushed forward, their own swords out. The winged ones cried out in horror, and attempted to take to the air, but Zaken's men grabbed them and wrenched them back to the ground. Komugi jumped out from her hiding spot, hands clenched into tight fists, outraged.

"STOP!" someone behind Komugi cried, just as Komugi opened her mouth to shout the same. She turned to find the pretty-eyed girl from the portrait landing behind her. Komugi glanced back at Zaken, who held a hand up to halt his men's attack. A strange look passed over his face that caused Komugi's heart to jump.

"You will hand over the treasure then?" Zaken asked, stepping towards her. The girl stood her ground and glared at him.

"We are a peaceful race, Sir Pirate. We Arteias came to this island years ago to be free of the violence and anger those who served the Giants were known to have." She said bravely, tilting her chin up in a defiant look. "We were not kept by the Giants like you were. We have no such treasure from them that you seek. There are many other islands, closer to the Giant's home, perhaps what you seek is there."

"You lie." Zaken said in a low voice, stepping close to the Arteias girl and glaring down at her. She met his gaze without fear.

"I would not. I have nothing to gain by lying to you. We are peaceful. If we have this so-called treasure you seek, we would give it to you, if only to be rid of your foolishness." She glared back. "Relics from the Giants are not meant for mortal hands, why would we hold on to something we cannot benefit from?" Zaken glared at her for a moment before turning away and walking directly towards Komugi, who stood behind him.

"She has a point..." Komugi started, smirking. Her mouth fell open in shock as Zaken walked through her and back to his crew. She looked down at her chest and touched it, thinking her own hand would go through. "What the hell?" she breathed, staring with large eyes.

"We cannot give you that which you seek," the girl called out as Zaken motioned for his men to move, "…but we can offer you hospitality for the night. Rest up here, we will give you enough provisions to return to your journey tomorrow. After all, it has been centuries since we have seen anyone from the Giant's lands." She smiled as Zaken turned to glance at her again. Komugi peered at him as a slight blush crossed his cheeks, and he turned away quickly. Staring dumbfounded as he nodded his acceptance of her offer, Komugi could only watch as they walked away.

She sat on the outskirts of the circle Zaken and his men had made around a campfire, several hours later. They grumbled among themselves and passed around baskets of food given to them by friendly-faced Arteias. Zaken himself seemed moody, staring into the flames of the campfire, holding a roll he'd only taken a bite out of. Komugi rolled her head against the building pole she'd seated herself against, and watched him with heavy eyes.

"What's with you, Zaken?" a pirate growled as the Arteias retreated for the moment. "We're pirates, not ambassadors. If they don't have the treasure, we're supposed to kill them, not befriend them!"

"Yeah! Soft creatures like these…we'll kill the men and take the women as slaves! The legendary Arteias! Think of the price they'd fetch in the markets of Gracia and Elmore! Screw the Giant's legacy, we'd be set for life!" another exclaimed, stabbing his pocketknife into a large loaf of bread.

"No." Zaken said in a low voice. "We will not. We are pirates, it's true, but we are not out to slaughter an entire race." He gave the protesting pirates a dark look.

"First we plunder and kill everything in sight, now we're the protectors of the living? You're going mad, Zaken!" the first pirate exclaimed, standing. "I say you're no longer fit to lead us! Who's with me?" Zaken answered his rousing shout by smoothly pulling his pistol from the inside of his coat and shooting the pirate through the chest.

"Wow, mutiny already, winning crew you've got here, Zaken." Komugi stated, lifting an eyebrow as the man fell over.

"Anyone else wish to disagree with my decision?" Zaken asked, cocking his pistol again. The men were silent, suddenly interested in their food.

"I understand being bloodthirsty is your nature, but please try to refrain from needless slaughter for the rest of your time here." The pretty-eyed Arteias girl said as she gracefully landed. She approached Zaken with a silver pitcher and poured him a glass of blue-green drink. "My name is Triage, I am pleased to make your acquaintance." She introduced as she poured. Zaken watched her with an entranced expression as she moved, and she gave him a tiny smile before moving on to the other men.

"Such good service here, eh?" a grizzled pirate said as she poured him a drink. He reached up and grabbed her breast roughly through her white tunic and pulled her close. "Are you here to serve us…fully?" Zaken stood quickly and pulled his pistol out again, pointing it at the grizzled pirate, who released Triage's breast with a large-eyed stare. Seemingly unaffected by the inappropriate advance from the man, Triage smoothly approached Zaken and put a gentle hand on the end of his gun, pushing it down.

"I sincerely apologize, sir, but the women here can serve you company in the form of conversation and music only." She turned to give him a slightly unnerving wide smile. "Not even our men can keep up with our sexual appetites, and it would be unfortunate for your captain to loose his crew to such a thing." The pirates around her were stunned into silence for a moment, then began to laugh nervously as she walked away from them.

"You can try me out for size baby!" another pirate shouted, standing up and thrusting his hips in an inappropriate manner. Zaken shoved his gun into the inner pocket of his coat and jogged after Triage. "Oho, looks like the captain is going to take her on!" the same pirate shouted. He was met with guffaws and cheers which caused Komugi to roll her eyes. Curiosity getting the better of her (and feeling midly jealous) she pushed herself to her feet and ran after them both.

"You speak differently from the others…" Zaken called out, slowing down. Triage stopped ahead of him and turned to look at him. "Why is that…?" he asked, his voice fading as he gazed at her. The moonlight shone off of her coral colored hair and wings, giving her an angelic look.

"Do I intrigue you, Pirate King?" Triage asked, amused. Zaken looked away from her and shifted, Komugi instantly recognizing his attempt to hide his embarrassment. Triage giggled and slowly approached him. "I am one of the few brave enough to travel off of the island to gather information, like we did in the old times. I have seen many things, and heard many legends in my years." She paused and smiled sweetly at him, looking into his face. "Yes, even stories about you, Grand Pirate Zaken. Your unrelenting quest for the Giant's treasure has traveled to as far as Gracia even." She stared gently at his face for a moment before turning and walking slowly away with Zaken following her. "You've developed quite the following, you know? Women who desire you, men who desire to serve you. Lords and Kings who desire to find the treasure before you. It's amazing that I would meet you here, like this." She sighed and stretched her arms out, stretching her wings directly backwards at the same time. "I admit, I will be saddened to see you go." She stated wistfully.

"Give me a break, you just met him." Komugi stated, frowning and rolling her eyes.

"You could come with us." Zaken suddenly said, grabbing Triages wrist and turning her to face him. "You could remain with me, my crew shall not harm you." Triage looked at him in surprise and searched his eyes. She smiled then and put a hand to his cheek.

"Why Grand Pirate…I believe you _are_ intrigued by me." She said flirtatiously, smiling at him. He didn't avert his gaze from her, mimicked her by putting a hand on her cheek. He drew her close slowly, and Komugi looked away as he kissed her. A strange feeling tightened her throat, and she found that it hurt to swallow. _What's wrong with me?_ She wondered, walking away from Zaken and Triage.

A strange feeling jolted through her and she looked up to find the Arteias' island had disappeared into white fog once again. Standing in the distance, her back to Komugi, was the unmistakably Seven. Her heart thudding, Komugi began to run as fast as she could towards the little girl.

"Seven!" Komugi shouted, waving at her. "Seven! I'm so glad you're ok! I thought for sure you were dea.." her words trailed off and she stopped as Seven turned around to face her. She grew as she turned, and when she faced Komugi fully, she was no longer Seven, but Zaken. "No…" Komugi whimpered, stepping away from him as he advanced towards her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, his form changing into the monstrous thing again. He shoved her neck into his mouth and Komugi struggled against him with all of her might. Only when she felt him bite through her neck did she scream.

She jerked awake quickly and lay staring at the ceiling, the remnants of her dream still fresh in her mind. Taking in deep breaths, she raised a hand to feel her neck and winced as two swollen puncture wounds stung under her touch. Realizing she was back in Zaken's cabin, she sat up and looked towards the window. There, in his desk chair, which he had pulled out to face the couch, sat Zaken. He'd taken off his corsair hat, and sat with his elbows resting on his knees. His head was bowed, and hands folded between his knees. He looked up at her slowly, his expression that of a man living in sheer misery.

"Am I a vampire?" Komugi found herself asking first.

"No." Zaken said softly, looking back down. Komugi pushed herself off of the couch and stood up. The room suddenly began to spin about her and she sat back down, one hand to her head.

"That girl…" Komugi said softly, more to herself than to Zaken. "Who was she?" There was a moment of silence, and then Zaken took a breath.

"Triage." He said without question. "She was an Arteias, and the first and last woman I ever cared for." Komugi looked up at him in surprise, some part of her stunned that the Grand Pirate found time to love during his mad quest.

"What happened to her?" Komugi asked curiously, then winced as she remembered Zaken's previous reactions to her curiosity. To her surprise, he just sat there for a moment, as if composing himself.

"I killed her."

"When you became a vampire?" she prodded, her eyes wide.

"No. Before that." Zaken took yet another breath. "She became my companion on my ship. Most of my crew had been opposed, thinking I'd farther gone mad, but to the older crew, she was a breath of fresh air. She helped us out by delivering messages and retrieving items we could not reach with the speed of her wings, and told stories of the ages past to myself and the crew. She herself were one of the last original Arteias who remembered the time of the Giants, and had stories history books had never recorded before." He raised his head enough to glance at the portrait which still lay on the floor near Komugi's feet. "One of my crew wished to be an artist one day, and sketched that portrait for her. The dress you're wearing also belonged to her, as well as the necklace. They were the only gifts I was ever able to give her." "The closer I became to finding the Giant's treasure, the more obsessed I became with gathering information of nothing but it. I sent Triage out on week-long searches in Elmore, or even longer expeditions to Gracia. When she wasn't helping by searching, she would put on performances while we were docked, to earn her keep so the crew would not complain that she was doing nothing to add to our money. "

"The longer this went on, the more ragged she became. Her cheeks became shallow, and her hair became thin. Still I forced her to work, and she did it obediently, always looking at me so…" he paused, raising his hands to his head. Komugi stood slowly and walked towards him despite herself. "She protested when I took slaves to begin excavating this island, and I remember hitting her then. When once of the slaves attempted to kill me in a small revolt, she jumped between us, still the peace-loving Arteias she had always been. My sword, which I had just drawn to cut the slave down, went right through her." Zaken clutched handfuls of hair as he continued. "She died at my feet, I didn't have the honor enough to hold her as she went. Her final words were of love to me. Some part of me wished to comfort her, to save her, but the madness had taken me over, and I walked away from her. My crew tried to sell her body later to the Ivory Tower, but I at least had compassion enough to bury her myself." He finished the tale with a strained voice, his body shaking as he suppressed his emotions.

Komugi, overcome by pity, kneeled beside him and put a hand on his arm. She could not comfort him with words like "It's not your fault" because it was his fault that Triage died. His misery proved however, that he was being punished for the cruelty he had shown her.

"Triage doesn't hate you…I think…" she began carefully, her fingers playing with one of the gold designs on his coat. "She…despite being sick, she was happy to be with you, and died for your sake. She knew that you were driven by that quest, I'm sure, but grieving for her all this time isn't going to bring her back now. You know that you did wrong by her, and you've punished yourself for it. Isn't it time to move on?" she finished in a gentle voice. Some part of her though of the irony it was, a mere human girl of fourteen comforting a vampire who has been alive for hundreds of years. Zaken lowered his hands slightly to look at her for a moment before grabbing her quicker than she could react. "Hey! I'm not letting you bite me again, let go!" she said angrily, hitting his shoulders as he crushed her against his chest.

"Thank you." Zaken whispered against her shoulder. Komugi stopped fighting him, her eyes opened wide in surprise. She raised her arms to circle around his sides, and patted his back as if he were a child.

"Just don't go breaking your promise and biting me again, ok? That really hurt." Komugi responded. He chuckled, tickling her shoulder. "I'm serious! I won't agree to be your food again, even if you're starving to death!" she pulled away to glare at him. Zaken cupped her cheek gently and looked at her, a small smile gracing his lips.

"I'll remember that." He said huskily, staring into her eyes. Komugi blushed and stood, clearing her throat. The mood was making her nervous, and she didn't like it. _No way, not going to fall for anyone until I'm sixteen and in the reef._ She told herself firmly, then blushed at the prospect that she were falling for Zaken. _Get a grip Komugi, pervert vampire, remember? He just used you as an emergency food source, be angry, not touched! _

"I don't want something like tonight happening again though." Komugi said firmly. "Teach me how to use swords. I'm tired of trying to fight with them and utterly failing." She stared at him seriously as he looked at her in mild surprise. He shut his eyes and smiled as he stood, standing in front of her and looking down at her. Komugi's cheeks went pink again at the way he gazed at her and stepped away from him and back over to the couch.

"I only know dual swordplay." Zaken stated. Komugi turned to look at him. "If you're ok with managing two blades, then fine, I will tutor you."


	7. Chapter 7

During the next few weeks, Komugi studied intensely under Zaken, learning how to use dual swords. She was a slow learner, her muscles not strong enough to hit with much force. With the light blades Zaken provided her with, however, she found her speed made up for her lack of strength. Zaken would call in one of his zombified crew members for her to practice on, and she quickly learned the best way to dispatch a human like foe.

She avoided any close contact with him, wary of being bit again and the strange feelings that she had when he'd be close to her. She recognized the emotion as something similar to the fluttery feeling she got whenever she had a crush on someone, and it unnerved her. After all, Zaken was hundreds of years older than her, a vampire who killed humans for food, and a highly sought-after enemy of the world. She told herself day after day that his greed had brought misery to many, but she found that she couldn't see that side of him. He was so much more than that. He was a man who had grown so afraid of his own mortality that he overcompensated by turning the fear into greed. It was quite pitiful, and he knew the error of his choice now. He seemed to protect the Giant's treasure out of continuing greed, but Komugi began to wonder if it were really to prevent it from falling into anyone else's hands.

"Komugi." Zaken said one day after her sword lessons were done, "Come with me."

She followed him closely as he led her through the winding tunnels that made up Devil's Island. Around her, zombified crew, strange dolls and demons watched as she passed. One of the crimson-dressed dolls flew at them with a screech but halted with a look from Zaken. It lowered itself slowly to the ground and wandered away.

"One of those tried to get me my first night here." Komugi mumbled, walking close to his back. "What are they?"

"Doll Bladers." Zaken said lightly as they passed a group of them. "I picked them up during a trip to Gracia one year, and intended to use them as a means to frighten away those who would approach the ship while it was docked. When the Giant's treasure cursed me and my crew, they were cursed as well and gained a life of their own."

"Lovely." Komugi muttered bitterly, watching as one followed them for a short distance. He led her to a drop off into the large cavern she had previously only seen from Zaken's cabin window. It was humid in this place, the water that poured in from outside and came in from the Pirate's Tunnel was warm and tropical. The entire place was moist, and Komugi's sleeves began to stick to her arms. Zaken suddenly grabbed her and pressed her against his chest in a tight embrace. "How many times must I fight you?" Komugi said, struggling. "I'm not food!"

"Hold on tight." Zaken commanded, amused as he lifted her up into his arms to carry her. He crouched quickly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes wide. He sprung into the air a second later and sailed over the remains of his ship and out a hole at the very top of the cavern. Komugi winced as light hit her eyes. Zaken floated gently down and landed on a flat rock and grass plateau, and set Komugi down.

The sun had just set into the west, streaks of red and orange still glowing in the sky. Entranced, Komugi wandered towards it, her breath catching in her throat at the beauty of it. The wind blew her hair and dress around her, and she realized she was standing on the highest peak of the island. Tears she didn't realize were coming suddenly fell from her eyes and she turned to Zaken.

"Thank you." She found herself saying as she wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug. Zaken put a hand on the back of her head and stroked her hair, and leaned his face in close to the top of her head.

"…and then I found myself being sold off to some ugly bald guy and shoved in a cart full of girls." Komugi finished. She and Zaken sat on the plateau still, now facing east and waiting for the moon to rise. Stars shone brightly in the lavender sky, and she sat close to Zaken, her arms wrapped around her knees. He had placed his hand on the grass behind her, and leaned in close to her. To her surprise, he was warm today, unlike before when his skin had been cold. Suddenly uneasy in the silence, Komugi reached down and picked at the long blades of grass. "Hey Zaken…" she began slowly. "This is going to sound strange but…why didn't you kill me that first night with Zola and Aisha?" She glanced up at him without moving her head to find him staring out over the ocean with a wistful expression.

"You were kind to me, from the very start, when no one else was." He murmured softly.

"You mean when I stuck up for you while we were locked in that cavern?" she asked, looking up at him.

"No, before that…while we were in the slavers cart together." He glanced down at her seriously, and Komugi's eyes widened.

"You mean….Seven…?" she was unable to voice the question fully, her heart pounding in her throat. Part of her cringed in embarrassment as she had done private things like relieving herself and bathing in Seven's presence. She looked away quickly, her cheeks red, as Zaken nodded slightly. "Normally I would scold you for being a pervert, but something tells me you have a reason for masquerading as a ten year old girl." Zaken chuckled deep in his chest, and Komugi instantly scolded herself for finding the sound attractive.

"With the magic of the Giants I gained the power to change shape. I had originally placed myself in the cart as a means of hunting, as girls are more apt to follow an innocent child than approach a full grown man." He stated, looking at her.

"That's really sneaky and somewhat low." Komugi grumbled, shifting on her bottom. Again Zaken chuckled.

"I suppose it is, but it makes it easier for me to hunt. The world has advanced so far now that too many people know my face." He sighed lightly and shifted closer to Komugi, noticing the gooseflesh popping out on her skin and thinking it was due to cold.

"Well…just so long as you're using it to keep yourself from going starvation insane." She muttered.

"As long as you approve milady." Zaken said dramatically and smiled. They were silent for another stretch of time, watching the moon as it rose. Komugi began to grow sleepy, and found herself drooping against his chest, her eyes half shut. "Komugi?" Zaken asked softly.

"Mm?" Komugi grunted, her eyes shutting.

"Will you stay with me from now on?" Zaken asked, looking down at her. Komugi smiled slightly and snuggled close.

"Only'f you let me out summtimes. A girl can't stay in the dark forever." She replied before falling asleep fully. Zaken chuckled once and then stood, lifting her as he went.

"Agreed." He whispered. He then kissed her temple and walked back to the cavern hole and dropped into it.

Another month went by. Zaken began to take Komugi out with him when he left the island for food, much to her surprise. The so-called 'pirates of the now' clan that Zola had spoken of seemed to not be bringing sacrifices to him any longer, and she wondered what was up. It was better this way though, she finally decided, as he could choose willing victims instead of forcing people to be his dinner.

Komugi spent her time studying in the church library, usually in Dion or Giran. On rare occasions Zaken would return to Gludin, but seeing the uneasy look that would cross Komugi's face the first few times he brought her there, he began to stay away from the harbor city. Komugi was amazed at how fast Zaken could travel between flying and running. He could move extremely fast, which gave one the impression that he was teleporting when he really wasn't.

Her ball gown was much too fancy for normal town visits, so Zaken purchased her a set of Sages Rags to wear for the time being. The rough fabric and color set were uninticing, but Komugi didn't complain, as it did the trick of keeping her anonymous.

"Komugi?" a voice suddenly came one night as she exited Dion's church. Komugi froze in her tracks and stared wide-eyed at the body the voice came from. Valimos, the Dark Elf from the boat ride so long ago trotted up to her with a happy expression. "Well so it is you. How have you been?" he asked cheerfully. Komugi took a step away from him, trying to mask the sour expression that threatened to show.

"I'm ok. Good to see you're still alive, but I must go now…" Komugi said in a rush, stepping around him and walking down the hill leading to town.

"What's your rush? Don't you have enough decency to socialize with someone after not seeing them for over a year?" Valimos stated angrily, walking next to her. Komugi paused to turn and glare at him. "That's better. So, what's up?" he tried again, smiling. Before the slew of insults left her lips, Valimos began talking again, interrupting her. "Oh yeah, good thing you're here. I'm on a hunt for some treasure. You're a cleric right? You can back me up and keep me healed. Let's go." He decided, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her out of town.

"Listen you moron," she began, planting her heels in the ground and yanking her hand from his grip. "You just don't do that, ok? I've got things I need to do. I don't have time to sit and save your sorry ass from greedy intention." She spat, glaring at him angrily. Valimos turned to stare at her, his gaze hard, then looked around her.

"Busy huh? Where's your sister then?" he said sarcastically, folding his arms over his chest. Komugi's eyes widened. She'd been shut away on the island for so long she'd almost forgotten about Sharmin. "That's what I thought. Let's go." Valimos decided, turning and grabbing her arm again.

"Komugi." Zaken's voice came. Both Valimos and Komugi halted and looked up to find Zaken standing near the town wall, staring at them. He had exchanged his traditional pirate coat and hat for a set of silver doom armor that night, and looked like an average person. Tiny droplets of blood spattered his breastplate, and Komugi knew that he was done feeding for the night. She wrenched her wrist from Valimos' grip once again and ran over to Zaken.

"See ya Valimos, have fun treasure hunting, hope you find another cleric!" Komugi said in sarcastic glee. She turned away from his stunned expression and followed Zaken around to the other side of the wall, out of sight. Valimos stared in awe at Zaken until they were out of sight, as if he recognized him even without the pirate outfit. He shook himself from his stupor and ran around to the side to find them gone.

"Who was that?" Zaken asked Komugi as they flew towards the island. Komugi rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise.

"Don't be jealous, he's just that moron I met on the boat from Talking Island. Seems to think that, since he knows me, I'm suddenly at his command." She grumbled, making another disgusted noise.

"I'm not jealous." Zaken said in a low voice. Komugi gave him a skeptical look, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, you're not? I need to work harder on that then." She said smugly, enjoying the look of surprise he gave her. He said nothing in response and cleared his throat. Komugi grinned at him; the Zaken outside of battle _was_ cute.

One day Komugi emerged from Zaken's cabin to practice sword moves on her own in the large room. It was midday, and Zaken wouldn't wake up for some time yet. While in the middle of practicing, she heard a strange scratching coming from the other side of the enchanted door. Leaving her swords she curiously wandered down the hall and tilted her head at the sound. She had not seen or heard a group rush in, so it puzzled her as to where the sound was originating from. Curiosity getting the better of her, Komugi grabbed the heavy handle and pulled.

There was a pause of shock when Komugi peered through the crack she'd opened in the door to find Valimos' equally shocked face staring back at her.

"So you were with Zaken, I knew it!" Valimos exclaimed. Komugi quickly backed up and attempted to slam the heavy door shut, but he stuck his sword in between the door and the frame, halting her. She grunted, pushing against it, as he pushed on the other side to open the door. "What's your problem anyway, come on Komugi, tell me where the treasure is! I know there's some around here that's not booby trapped!"

"Go away!" Komugi grunted, her feet sliding against the floor.

"What are you talking about? I can get you out of here! He's holding you prisoner, right?" Valimos stated in an equally strained voice as he pushed. He began slamming his shoulder against the door, the jarring movement displacing Komugi. She fell backwards finally and he burst through the doors and raced down the hall. "It's down here, right?" he called over his shoulder. Komugi pushed herself to her feet quickly and ran after him.

"You idiot, get out of here, he's going to kill you!" Komugi hissed, reaching a hand out to cast a slowing ice spell on him. He broke through it easily and began poking and prodding the walls in the great room. "Valimos, I'm serious, get out of here. All the treasure you could want is outside."

"Not all of it. He wouldn't put the Giant's treasure out there." Valimos stated, peering between the floorboards. "Do you know how much people would pay me for that? I'd be rolling in money from here until the rest of eternity!" Komugi's eyes widened as he approached the door to Zaken's cabin. "Aha!" he exclaimed. She raced up and planted herself between him and the door, her arms spread out.

"This is your last warning, get out of here." Komugi stated in a low voice, her face dark.

"Or what? You'll buff me to death?" Valimos sneered, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "Just let me get the treasure and then we'll leave, ok?" He pushed her aside and leaned down with a lock pick to the keyhole.

"I mean it!" she insisted, grabbing his arm and pulling on it with all of her strength. Valimos struggled against her angrily.

"Let go you flat breasted bimbo!" Valimos exclaimed, trying to wrestle his arm from her grip. Both halted as Zaken's cabin door slowly swung open to reveal a very angry looking Zaken standing behind it.

"Now you've done it." Komugi muttered, releasing his arm. Valimos backed up a few steps as Zaken slowly walked into the room, his expression cold. His swords appeared in both hands and the rest began to materialize in the air behind him, spinning in a circle. Valimos jumped out of the way as the first sword stabbed at him, and flipped across the room avoiding the rest. He came to stand behind Komugi and held her in a chokehold. She grabbed his arm angrily and glared at him. "Don't get me involved you moron!" she snapped, pulling on his arm. Valimos ignored her and quickly grabbed a scroll from inside of his breastplate. He gave Zaken a cocky smile as he flipped the seal on the scroll with one hand, then leaned down to catch Komugi's mouth in a kiss. Her eyes widened as their lips met, and the magic in the scroll flared to life. Komugi broke from the kiss just as the room began to disappear and looked at Zaken, who stared at them in hurt shock.

She fell to the ground in the center of Dion, landing on the legs of a Dwarven merchant as he sat in the square. Without apologizing, she stood up and pounced on Valimos.

"You bastard! You grey-skinned, small penised, over-compensating with a big sword, son of a kobold bitch! How DARE you! HOW DARE YOU!" she screeched, punching and pounding him. People browsing the merchants paused to stare at her in awe. Valimos slowly stood, shielding himself from her hitting, and then grabbed her wrist and toted her off to the church. "Where are you taking me? Take me back there, RIGHT NOW." Komugi shouted, resisting his tugs. He pulled her through the cathedral, gaining shocked looks from the Priests and Priestesses, as she screamed and shouted the entire way.

"Please excuse her my lords, she is mad from grief." Valimos stated through clenched teeth before pushing Komugi into a side room. He entered behind her and shut the door firmly, turning the key in the lock. Komugi scrambled around in the dark, looking for another door, as Valimos lit an oil lamp on the wall. As light flickered to life in the room, she found she was in a small room that had a bed and a water basin shoved into the corner. Komugi ran for the door, but Valimos pulled the key from the lock and stowed it inside of his armor. Growling like a beast, she dove at him, clawing for his breastplate. He struggled with her for a moment before finally throwing her off. She stumbled and fell against the wall roughly, her back smacking into it. "Now listen here." Valimos stated coldly, staring at her. "I just rescued you from a fate worse than death, do you understand? Now shut up and be grateful."

"Is that what you believe?" Komugi said through clenched teeth. "That I was being held there against my will? We were living there quite nicely, until you showed up and put a nail through everything." Her hands clenched into fists on either side of her.

"Yeah right." Valimos scoffed, rolling his eyes. "What kind of delusional world are you living in? He would eventually drain you of blood. Looks like he tried to already, in fact." He stated, staring pointedly at the still pink scars on her neck. Komugi reached a hand up and covered it, her cheeks turning pink. She had been unable to heal the wound for some reason when she tried, she found.

"That was an accident." She mumbled, looking down. Valimos scoffed again and walked over to the bed, where he sat down heavily.

"Right. I'm sure the next time would be an accident to. He's done this before, Komugi, taken girls to live at his island until the time was right. Stories have it that, the night the blood moon rises, he sacrifices the girl who's been living with him, and pours her blood upon the Giant's treasure to keep it's power flowing." He stated, staring at her. Komugi's face paled and she stared at him with wide eyes.

"That's not true." She insisted in a low voice, her hand still pressed against her neck. Flashes of memory hit her inner eye then. She remembered the dance, his saving her from the human Treasure Hunter, the look of sorrow on his face when he told her of Triage, and finally when they watched the sun set. She winced, shutting her eyes tightly as tears stung them. "It's not true…" she repeated.

"You keep telling yourself that. In the meantime, get some rest, we're going to be here for awhile, until I'm sure Zaken isn't looking for us any more." Valimos stated, reclining on the bed. "I'll take you to find Sharmin or something. I saw some Paladin with a Gladiator and Light Elf a few days ago. They were talking about a 'Sharmin' they had lost somewhere around the Ant Nest a few months ago, and a friend of mine said she was currently studying under an old Paladin by the name of Sir Aron Tanford. She'll be heading to Oren soon to be ordained as a Paladin, so we'll head there." He paused to stare at her before continuing. "See, it's not all bad. Your sister is much more important than some vampire, right? Safer too. Now go to sleep or something, and don't try to genk the key from my armor, or I'll swallow it and we'll both be stuck in here with only water to drink." With that, he rolled over to face the wall, leaving Komugi huddled in the corner.


	8. Chapter 8

Several weeks past. Valimos had some sort of deal going on with the head Bishop of Dion church, and Komugi was prohibited from leaving the church without an escort. He would leave during the day at times, and return with a smug look. Komugi had studied up all she needed to know to become a Prophet while locked in Valimos' room, and now awaited the day she'd go to Oren where she would be ordained.

One morning, while she shuffled around the cathedral, she heard someone shout "SHARMIN!" Her heart leaping into her throat, she dashed to the door and looked out, just as someone blinked out of existence at the Gatekeeper who stood outside. Gatz stared at the Gatekeeper in bewilderment, and Komugi's face brightened. She took a breath and moved to step outside of the church, but was halted by a hand on her arm. She turned to find Valimos glaring at her angrily, and she wrenched her arm from him.

"How DARE you! I'm not your property!" she snarled, turning away from him to dash after Gatz. He had seen her sister, maybe he knew where she was headed, and she could leave the nightmare of Valimos behind. The Dark Elf was frighteningly possessive, and seemed to think he could order her to do whatever he pleased. "Gatz!" she called, waving as he turned to look at her in surprise. His face brightened as he saw her and just as he took a step towards her, Koyori stepped between them.

"Well well well, if it isn't the flat chested wonder. I see you've matured in your face, but your body still seems to be lagging behind." She stated smugly, pushing her chest out. "Oh my, are those Sage Rags you're wearing?" she giggled, holding a hand up to hide her mouth. She turned her hips slightly as if to show off her white, blue and shiny Blue Wolf robe set, a symbol of an accomplished magus.

"Go explode, you bimbo." Komugi hissed, her hair prickling out. Of all people, why did Gatz have to choose Koyori as his tagalong healer?

"Komugi, wow, it's been ages!" Gatz exclaimed, pushing Koyori aside. She made a disgusted noise and glared at him. "I just saw Sharmin leave, did she come back with you?

"So you really did see Sharmin?" Komugi exclaimed. Gatz looked at her in surprise then.

"You mean you weren't together?" he asked curiously as Koyori snorted in amusement.

"No, she's together with me." Valimos sneered, putting an arm around Komugi's shoulders. Komugi ducked under it and pushed him away.

"As if you disgusting slime bag!" she smoothed her hair down from where he mussed it. "This guy has been keeping me prisoner for the past three weeks in that church." She spat, glaring at him.

"Really." Gatz stated more than asked, taking a defensive step forward, glaring at Valimos.

"Now now, don't get involved in their lovers quarrel." Koyori purred, giving Komugi an oily grin.

"Puh-LEEZE Koyori, as if I'd ever lower myself to your level and date a Dark Elf." Komugi said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I'm really glad to find you guys again to save me from the obsessed stalker here, but I'd really like to find out where my sister has gone so I can at least TRY and reclaim some semblance of the normal life I lost months ago." With that she turned and marched to the Gatekeeper.

After speaking with the absent-minded blonde for several minutes, they were able to get out that she had sent Sharmin to Oren, just as Valimos had predicted. However, when they consulted their money bags, they didn't have enough money to port to Oren after lending Komugi enough for the fee. She tried to get them to let her go on by herself, but they wouldn't hear of it, and instead came up with the alternate plan of traveling to Giran to make the lost money. This aggravated Komugi, and she knew Valimos went with it both to keep her under his thumb and at his healing beck and call. Koyori watched her trudge after Valimos as they ran between Giran Castle town and Breka's Stronghold. Most of the monsters were much too weak to be profitable from, but Komugi knew that they wouldn't travel south towards stronger prey, as they'd be closer to Devil's Isle. After a few weeks, she, Valimos, Gatz and Koyori gathered their money together and finally had the Gatekeeper send them to Oren. Komugi pushed herself to her feet from where she landed in front of the church to dash into the crowd wandering about the city. Valimos appeared seemingly from nowhere and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"First you become ordained, and then you search out Sharmin." He commanded sternly, pulling her towards the church.

"Let go of me!" Komugi shouted, kicking him in the groin. Valimos groaned and released her arm to double over, and she took that moment to race into the crowd. She scanned the people around her with large eyes, searching for Sharmin's face. She wandered aimlessly, her esteem slowly seeping out of her until she came to sit on the steps of the Warrior Guild. She sighed and stared out at the people passing by, her chin resting heavily on her hands. Sharmin wasn't here after all. During the weeks they spent in Giran, she probably moved on to another place. Groaning in frustration she stood and kicked the step, then stared at the teacher inside of the guild angrily. He blinked at her blankly, then looked around to see if she were looking at someone else so murderously. When he realized there were no other bodies nearby, he scooted uneasily from her view. Sighing again, Komugi stomped off the steps and back in the direction of the church. Might as well go become ordained now and figure out the next place to go.

"Ne, did you hear?" a nun whispered to a Priestess as Komugi knelt before the head Bishop. He was chanting off her oaths and vows that she had to abide by as a Prophet, but she only listened with half an ear, distracted by the two women.

"Hear what?" the Priestess whispered back. Komugi opened one eye to look at them.

"There was this handsome man in town the other day looking for someone! He was so rugged, yet elegant! The Barmaids are saying he was a vampire!" the nun giggled. Komugi turned her head slightly to listen, now intrigued. Her heart began to pound lightly in her chest.

"A vampire? Oh my, I hope he didn't kill anyone!" the Priestess exclaimed softly, a hand on her chest.

"It would be a pleasuring death, let me tell you. I saw him myself and wished I were twenty years younger!" the nun said with a wicked grin

"Qi, behave!" the Priestess scolded, casting a worried glance at the Bishop who paused to glare at them. "You'll bring misfortune upon yourself if you talk that way!" They were quiet for a moment, and Komugi realized they were staring at her.

"You're done now, child." The Bishop said in a nasally voice, looking down at her sternly. Komugi blinked a few times and looked up at him, her cheeks pink. She'd been listening to the women so intently she didn't hear him finish her ceremony. Smiling at him nervously she bowed lightly and scooted over to the Priestess the nun stood next to for the list of new spells she had to learn.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear…" she began, smiling at the priestess.

"Obviously." The nun stated flatly, adjusting her spectacles. Komugi's cheek twitched for a moment as she tried to control her temper.

"…This man you talking about, did he say who he was looking for?" Komugi finished, folding the list the Priestess handed her and placing it in her robe pocket.

"Well, there are several different stories when you want to get that detailed." The nun said, pushing her arms under her breasts and wiggling, as if adjusting her chest support. "But the general consensus seems to be a girl of about fourteen or so. Why, do you think it's you?" She glared at Komugi as if inspecting her, and Komugi again struggled with her temper.

"Not particularly." She said carefully, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "What did he look like?" This seemed to be the winning question, and the nun's expression turned wistful.

"Oh he was so beautiful." She said dreamily, fanning herself lightly with her hand. "Blonde hair that reached all the way down to his waist…eyes that were hungry like a wolves. And blue! I'd never seen such a bright blue before. They were like the ocean near Heine!" she sighed and stared off into space. Komugi stared at her in shock. No doubt about it, she described Zaken perfectly. His hair was usually kept hidden beneath his coat, but the rare times she'd seen him in human wear, he'd left it visible.

"You've read too many romance novels, Qi, shame on you." The Priestess said bitterly, glancing at the nun.

"I had to give up a lot when I became a nun, at least leave an old woman with the dreams of what she missed out on." Qi huffed stubbornly, folding her arms. Komugi bowed lightly and rushed out of the church.

Zaken was still looking for her! The thought made her heart flutter, despite her mind still insisting that she weren't to fall for anyone until she turned sixteen. She had been worried that he would get the wrong impression from seeing Valimos kiss her as he opened the scroll of escape. A new idea hit her, and she stopped, her eyes wide. Zaken could help her find Sharmin better than any stupid Dark Elf! Why didn't she think of that before while she was with him?

_Because you forgot about her. _An evil voice said inside her head. Glaring at it, she began walking through Oren's marketplace, nibbling on her thumbnail in thought. There had to be a way to get in contact with Zaken, but how? It was highly unlikely that he would return to Oren, as it was dangerous for him to travel such distances when the night was so short. He must've taken quite a risk to travel all the way to Oren and then back to Devil's Isle. No, her only other choice would be to somehow escape from Valimos or convince him to take her to Devil's Isle. Both seemed highly unlikely, and she growled to herself, biting her thumbnail hard.

"Please, won't you help me?" a light voice came from beside Komugi. She paused and looked over to find a black-haired Witch pleading desperately to a red-haired, Dark Elf Spellhowler. The Elf sighed and shifted, as if bored. Next to the Sorceress sat a large, plump white cat wearing a fancy brown coat, white and lavender striped balloon pants, with a pair of brown goggles perched on top of his head. He stood on two legs and swayed back and forth like a child.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I just don't have the time to be tagging along with you all the way to Heine." The Elf said in a bored tone, looking around the Sorceress as if watching for someone. Light bulbs went off in Komugi's head as she stared at them. Heine was near the Field of Whispers. The Field of Whispers was near Devil's Isle! But wait, Valimos wouldn't go someplace without good reason. Komugi thought quickly as the Sorceress continued to beg the Spellhowler. Of course, it was so clear! She could convince Valimos to go to Heine. From there she would trick him into going into the Garden of Eva in search of treasure. While they were in there, she'd conveniently get separated from him and make her way to Devil's Isle alone. It was a perfect plan!

"Please, you must come with me!" the Sorceress begged. "It must be a Dark Elf!"

"I can help you." Komugi said with a smile on her face, coming up behind the Sorceress. She turned to look at Komugi in surprise, then made a worried face.

"Thank you, but it must be a Dark Elf." She said sadly. Komugi's eye twitched, but she didn't break her smile.

"That's great then, as I'm traveling with a Dark Elf myself." She forced herself to say in a happy tone. Associating herself willingly with Valimos left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Come with me to the inn and we'll talk to him, ok?"

"Oh thank you!" the Sorceress said, taking Komugi's hands. Her eyes shone with happy tears. Her cat familiar meowed and put a paw on Komugi's hand, mimicking his mistress.

"No problem." Komugi said uneasily, pulling her hand away gently and turning. She cried out in startlement, as she almost ran into a large-eyed, red-haired Dwarf with a ponytail on the side of her head staring up at her.

"What's in Heine?" she asked curiously, looking at the two girls. Komugi lowered her eyes in annoyance at the Dwarf and turned her nose up.

"None of your business." She said in an elitist tone, stepping around her and marching away. The Sorceress bowed quickly to the Dwarf and then jogged to keep up with Komugi. Watching them go with a puzzled expression, the Dwarf shrugged and then posed on one leg, waving at them as they left. She then hummed a merry tune and went skipping in the opposite direction.

As Komugi walked briskly past the north gate, a group of weary fighters came trudging into town. They had just returned from a week-long stakeout, all of them hired to push the Lizardmen back towards the Timak Outpost. Sharmin stepped inside of the town and sighed, pushing her hair out of her face which was smudged with grime. She squinted and looked up at the sky, thinking to herself about how she wished it would rain. Sighing again, she walked wearily towards the inn.

"No." Valimos said flatly, turning away from Komugi and inspecting the weapons a merchant had laid out.

"Oh come on Valimos, now that we've missed Sharmin, I gotta do something." Komugi said, trying not to look at the Sorceress whose eyes were welling up with tears.

"Please, you're my last hope! It must be a Dark Elf!" The Sorceress, whom had introduced herself as Melissan, whimpered. "I cannot even hope to get into the Garden of Eva properly without one!" Komugi grinned inwardly as the Adena signs lit up in Valimos' eyes.

"Did you say the Garden of Eva?" he asked, interested. Melissan nodded.

"Yes, there is something I must do there, but I cannot go in unless I have a Dark Elf accompanying me!" she exclaimed, hope returning to her voice. Valimos visibly pondered it for a moment before nodding once.

"Fine, you have a deal. We'll escort you there, but only for a fee. Two million now, two more when we arrive, alright?" He smirked. Melissan stared at him blankly for a moment and Komugi's grin turned into a groan. There was no way a normal person could afford such a steep price!

"Alright then, I accept." Melissan said with a smile. To both Komugi and Valimos' shock, she held her hand out to the cat who produced a fat money pouch. From it she pulled the required money and dropped the heaping mound into Valimos' hand. "We'll meet on the south path at noon, alright? Thank you so much!" Melissan waved to them as she and her cat turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Komugi and Valimos to stare at each other dumbly.

Komugi woke early the next day and dressed in the teal Karmian robe set that Valimos purchased for her with the money Melissan had given them. The robes consisted of a long-sleeved tunic that was off the shoulders, and a long skirt that reached to her knees. Her tunic was richly embroidered around the hems with a silver link pattern, and lace fluttered around her shoulders. A choker came with the robe set, which she gratefully used to cover the lingering scars from Zaken's 'kiss'. She had requested dual swords when it came time for a weapon, but he ignored her and picked out a traditional magus staff. Looking at herself in the mirror and taking a deep breath, she grinned. It wouldn't be long now. She'd have Valimos out of her hair soon enough.

Or so she thought. Several hours later, way past the meeting time with Melissan, Komugi stood outside of the inn and tapped her foot impatiently. Nearby, Valimos stood at a merchant's stall, pondering between identical Gatekeeper scrolls.

"Come _on_ Valimos, what do you need to do still? We've been here for an hour." She whined, kicking the toe of her boot into the stone pavement. It seemed like he was being slow on purpose, and it aggravated her. They could have been to the Skyshadow Meadow by then! Valimos ignored her and plucked a scroll from the pile, seemingly satisfied with it.

"Patience Komugi, I'm done now." He said, paying the merchant and turning away. Komugi cheered lightly, her fist thrown into the air. She composed herself as Valimos turned to glare at her and pretended to stretch. Folding her arms behind her head, she walked ahead of him; trying to ignore the penetrating look he was giving her. "Wait, stop here." Valimos commanded, pulling her over to a merchant selling potions. Komugi made an exasperated noise.

"Must we? Seriously, we should have everything by now!" she grumbled, looking at the jewelry another merchant had laid out next to the potions seller. She sighed and blew a strand of hair from her eyes, wishing one of Shilien's dragon children would siege the town in search of Dark Elf meat.

"Komugi?" she suddenly heard someone call. She lifted her head and looked around curiously. It almost sounded like Sharmin…

"Something wrong?" Valimos asked, looking at her. Komugi squinted into the crowd, straining her ears to hear the voice again. A strange feeling of dread began to descend over her, and she struggled against running away from it.

"I thought I heard someone calling me…" she said softly, eyes scanning the passing faces. After another moment she shrugged and returned to looking at the necklaces. She frowned; her face turned away from Valimos, and put a hand to her chest. What was this strange feeling that suddenly plagued her? She felt as if something important were going to happen that she needed to be there for.

"Alright, I'm done." Valimos finally said, packing away the potions he purchased. Komugi stood and followed him without question, still frowning. He paused at the city gates and turned to look at her, confused by the silence. "Well, are you ready to go?" he asked inspecting her expression. Komugi suppressed the dread feeling long enough to groan and roll her eyes at him.

"I've been ready to go for ages, have you not been listening?" she grumbled.

"Of course not, you're quite the nag, sometimes I wish you'd shut up." he sneered, proud of himself.

"Bastard, I'm not healing you." Komugi hissed, her hair standing out. How dare he treat her like she was an annoyance when it was he who wouldn't let her go!

"Ok then, I'm letting you die." Valimos reasoned, walking away from her. Komugi stared at his retreating figure for a moment, her temper in full tilt before stomping down the hill leading from the town after him. They turned south, making their way towards the Skyshadow Meadow, as Sharmin, whom Komugi hadn't even noticed, ran north, towards the Ivory Tower.


	9. Chapter 9

They met up with Melissan, who was still waiting for them patiently despite being late, and began the long hike to Hunter's Village. It had been Melissan's idea to travel there first, and then have the Gatekeeper send them the rest of the way to Heine, as it was cheaper. Valimos took this chance to train on the Lizardmen as they passed through the Meadow, forcing Komugi to heal him as he dove headfirst into battle. She swallowed her pride and complied, keeping up the appearance to Melissan that they were actually friends, and to keep Valimos satisfied enough to continue the trip to Heine. Each time she wished he would die in battle, but she knew that Melissan would most likely use a scroll of resurrecting magic on him, if that should happen. She seemed like a good person, despite the mysterious air around her. She never spoke of herself, other than the fact that it was extremely important that she go to the Garden of Eva.

It took them a little over a week to get to the Hunter's Village, as Valimos made many detours along the way. He seemed intent on hunting every type of monster he happened across, even some that were much stronger than he was. When they finally arrived in Heine via the Gatekeeper's spell, it was already late at night. Her patience was wearing thin, now that she was so close to Zaken again, but she forced herself to remain calm and uninterested. Valimos began keeping a tighter leash on her, and even rented the room in the inn to be so that all three of them were together. This upset Komugi, not only because it hindered any chance of escape, but also because she didn't feel it was proper for a boy she didn't like to be in the same bedroom with her.

They remained in Heine for a few days, as Melissan had suddenly come down with a mysterious illness. Komugi tended to her obediently, feeling sorry for the friendly Witch. When she was finally well enough to stand, she insisted that they begin their journey to the Garden of Eva. Komugi was still concerned for her health, as the girl still seemed pale and feeble, but didn't say anything. Valimos was well past being on her last nerve, and she needed to be rid of him quickly!

The Garden was a day and a half's worth of travel, made longer by Valimos' insistence to veer off the path to slay the Nos and Crokian gator tribes that lived within the Field of Whispers. When the ocean came into view the evening of the second day, Komugi ran ahead of the two to stare out over the water with an eager expression. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the reef beyond the shoreline. It was everything she had imagined it to be. Coral bloomed beneath the surface like strange multicolored flowers. There were stone pillars in the water that led down to a temple-like entrance deep beneath the surface. Komugi sighed happily and sat down in the sand. This was the perfect place for her perfect man to confess his love to her. She'd have to remember to bring him there once she found him. Zaken's face flashed quickly through her mind and she frowned. She scolded herself again, trying to convince herself that it would never work out. After all, he was so much older than she was, and a vampire to boot.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as something hard and heavy suddenly dropped from the air above her and landed right over her stomach, knocking her into the sand. She stared into the sky in shock for a moment before groaning at the top of her lungs.

"OH MY GOD I'M DYING." She shouted, feeling something crunch at her back. The heavy hard thing proved to be an armored human, and she wriggled beneath the offender. This seemed to alert the person that they'd dropped on something living, and they pushed themselves to their knees. Komugi sat up and brushed the sand off of her sleeves, making a distasteful noise. She turned to look behind her, and found that the large crystal on the end of her silver Paradia staff had cracked in two. It had been the source of the crunching noise, luckily, not her spine. "Watch where you're falling you fat cow." She growled, looking around her body for more damages. "Not all of us wear armor, so that crap hurts."

"I'm sorry…" the person said in a meek voice. Komugi rolled her eyes as she inspected her clothes. Her offender was female, and her voice struck Komugi as instantly annoying. It reminded her of Sharmin when she was in coward mode.

"Oh man, I just bought this too." She grumbled, finding a tear in her skirt and picking at it. "All because this cow decided to land on sweet little me… I'm not a landing pad you know…" She milked the situation for all it was worth, determined to make the person feel as guilty as possible.

"KOMUGI!" the voice suddenly squealed, and then the person latched onto her in a fierce hug that almost crushed some bones for real, and knocked both of them over. It took Komugi a moment to realize that her offender had been Sharmin herself.

"Sh…Sharmin?" she asked, uncertain if she were awake or not. Tears of relief welled up in her throat and she swallowed against them. Sharmin released her hug enough to rise up and stare down at her, crying. Komugi was shocked at how she had aged. It hadn't been a year since they were separated, how did she get so mature so quickly? "Oh my god, what happened to you?" she asked in disbelief, touching Sharmin's cheek. "You look older!" Sharmin didn't answer her, and instead crushed her in another hug.

"Where have you been?" Sharmin asked, her voice muffled from tears and the sand that she'd buried her face in. "I've been searching for you since we were separated." Komugi lay in the sand for a moment, trying to grasp everything that was going on. When she'd last seen Sharmin, she still looked youthful and soft. This Sharmin was an adult, and hardened by experience. Her lip quivered, and a tear escaped the corner of her eye. Her poor sister…

"Oh here and there…" Komugi said lightly, feeling guilty that she hadn't been searching for Sharmin as intensely as Sharmin appeared to have been searching for her. "It's a long story though…" Sharmin sat up then, freeing Komugi from the death lock and allowing her to breathe again. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her armored glove, then grinned at Komugi as she sat up. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, there was chorus of yelling, and several bodies dropped from the air and into the sand. Komugi stared blankly as several familiar faces, including the Dwarf she'd seen in Oren, sat up and spat sand from their mouths. "You brought company." She observed. "Sorry I haven't cleaned up. You know how it is; the ocean just keeps bringing the sand in." Her comment was meant as a corny joke to break the intense mood and distract her from becoming emotional, but it went ignored.

"This doesn't look like Heine… Unless they've remodeled." Narlafayn said as she stood. She began to wiggle inappropriately, obviously trying to remove some of the sand from her Mithril bikini gaiters. _Yeah, ya think?_ Komugi thought sarcastically, rolling her eyes. _Keen observation powers there_. Komugi then frowned, wondering how they managed to land by the Garden of Eva if they requested Heine. As far as she knew, there was no magic connected to the Garden of Eva.

"Did we get the dense Gatekeeper or something? This is definitely not Heine." The familiar voice of Vuylay came next, voicing Komugi's thoughts. She went into instant glare as the Dark Elf stood. Another Dark Elf Komugi had never met before pushed himself to his feet beside Vuylay. She glanced at Komugi without emotion, and then looked away, brushing sand from her cleavage. "Oh hey, Komugi lives." She said in an equally unimpressed tone of voice.

"Nice to see you too." Komugi said, her voice deadpan. Her temper prickled. Who was going to appear next, Koyori? Wouldn't that be a grand time.

"Well, we have a nice crowd to help us now. Where did you find them, Komugi?" Valimos' voice suddenly came, causing her temper to flare more. These people just fell from dimensional space, and he suddenly thought they were there to help him find treasure? Now that she had Sharmin she no longer needed to stick by him, and opened her mouth to finally tell him off. There were enough people on her side to kick his ass if he tried to retaliate violently, and she was eager to be rid of him.

Her insults never got voiced, unfortunately, as a large splash from the water interrupted her. The group turned to stare in silence as Leon pulled himself from the ocean, water pouring from his armor like a waterfall.

"That's a good way to wake up." Leon said cheerfully, pulling a fish out of his breastplate. "Where are we?" Komugi glanced at Sharmin, who stared at him with a wistful smile on her face. She twitched in annoyance. How could Sharmin be impressed with _that_? What did she see in him, anyway?

"Outside of the Garden of Eva." Melissan answered for everyone. "My name is Melissan, and this is Valimos and Komugi. We were about to go explore the Garden, would you like to join us?" she offered. Komugi nodded eagerly when Sharmin gave her a questioning glance. She didn't care if Sharmin were possibly still weak, _anything_ to be rid of Valimos!

Several annoying hours later, Komugi stood against the wall of the Garden, waiting for the sword-types to finish off the Blade Stakato Drone that had come at them. She was wet, cold, and cranky. Had she known that the Garden of Eva was a giant maze that had waterfall doorways that let up only during certain times of the day, she would've never agreed to this trip. She'd taken the time to let Sharmin fill her in on all that she'd done for the past months, saving her story about Zaken for later. She didn't think Sharmin would approve to highly of the time she spent with Zaken, what with the way she had thrown a fit over being kissed by fourteen year old Ryonai when she was ten. Sharmin seemed a bit old fashioned when it came to age differences, even though Leon was older than her. Komugi couldn't put her finger on it, but there seemed to be an inconsistency in Sharmin's story from when she left Oren to where she started traveling with Leon, as if she was hiding something. The thought that her sister wouldn't be honest with her further aggravated her grumpiness, and she kicked the floor with the toe of her boot.

As they were swimming down to the entrance earlier, they'd come across the same Spellhowler that Melissan had been begging to accompany her earlier into the Garden. He was traveling with a human Gladiator and a Light Elf Spellsinger this time. Sharmin seemed to know the Gladiator and Spellhowler, and not like them, as she kept her distance. The Gladiator, whose name was Vlad, on the other hand, seemed rather fond of Sharmin. He spent most of his time teasing her much like Ryonai used to tease her when they were children.

"Uh guys, what's that?" Narlafayn's voice came, interrupting her thoughts. Komugi turned to find her staring through the heavy waterfall that covered the doorway to the next path. "It looks like some sort of pale lady wearing black… She's got a bunch of floating guys wearing robes around her." Komugi rolled her eyes. Same as always, Narlafayn's powers of description were impressively bad.

"That's Eva's Guardian, Millenu." The Spellsinger said, looking through the doorway beside Narlafayn. "She guards the Garden from those who wish to harm our goddess, how could you not recognize her?" she asked, staring at Narlafayn with a quizzical expression. Narlafayn cleared her throat and looked away.

"I guess I didn't pay attention in school…" she stated nervously. The Spellsinger frowned and returned to staring through the door. Komugi turned her back on the two Light Elves to gaze down the pathway at the guardian monsters that roamed there. They gathered behind her to plan for their next move, but she didn't pay attention. She squinted as movement caught her attention. Was it just her imagination, or did she just see a girl with blonde hair go running through the walls? The strange dread feeling washed through Komugi again and she turned back around quickly, just in time to see Sharmin passing through the cleared waterfall.

"SHARMIN!" Komugi screamed, running after her. The guardian on the other side sounded strong, why was Sharmin trying to take her on alone? Her shout alerted the rest of the group and they came thundering behind her as they went through the archway. Just as they passed through, she saw Sharmin dive through the other side, just as the waterfall began flowing again, blocking the archway from anyone else entering. Her attention then pulled to Melissan, who stood by the Guardian, her arms spread. A strange barrier shone around her, blocking the Guardian from passing anywhere past it. The others in the group seemed just as stunned as she, and approached the Sorceress cautiously.

"Melissan?" Leon asked, reaching a hand out to her. The instant his fingers touched her shoulder, she crumbled like a sandcastle, falling into a heap of dust. Komugi cried out, covering her mouth to drown out her shock. The barrier Melissan had encased Millenu in imploded, taking the Guardian and her servants with it. Not affected by what Melissan had become, Leon dashed to the next waterfall archway and stared through it. "Sharmin!" Komugi heard him shout. She ran up behind him to see Sharmin descending a ramp into the next room, which seemed to be a big open pool of water. Komugi shut her eyes and began to pray, not to anyone in particular, that Sharmin would be safe. She lost her once, and she didn't want to lose her again.

As if a higher power answered her prayers, the waterfalls ceased after only a few minutes, and the group pressed onward, determined to catch up with Sharmin. As they ran down the ramp, Komugi saw Sharmin walking towards an opening in the wall.

"Sharmin, what are you doing?" she shouted, angry that her sister was leaving her behind. What had gotten into her? Didn't she want to stay with them, with her? Being brave enough to go off on her own was highly unlike the Sharmin Komugi knew. She ran ahead of the group just as Sharmin walked into the stone hallway. "Sharmin!" she exclaimed, reaching out to her. The wall slid shut, brushing against Komugi's fingers, closing Sharmin away from her. Frustrated, Komugi beat on the wall as hard as she could. "What's the matter with you Sharmin? Why are you acting like this?" she shouted into the stone wall. Looking over her shoulder she found the rest of the group engaged in battle with strange puppet-like monsters that floated above the ground and wore long robes. One floated calmly next to the wall and stared at Komugi with empty sockets. "What have you done with my sister? Let me in there too, you hear?" she demanded, standing up straight and challenging him.

The creature regarded her for a moment before turning it's head with loud clicks towards the battle, and pointed at it. Komugi shook her head defiantly and clenched her fists.

"I'm not going to go fight. I didn't come here to fight. Hell, I didn't even plan on coming in here period! You monsters are putting a kink in my plans, and I'm getting sick of it! I'm supposed to be on Devil's Isle with Zaken by now!" she snarled at the puppet-demon. It seemed to look at her for a moment before rising up into the air. Komugi watched as it floated higher and higher, until flying out a hole at the top of the Garden's ceiling. She stared at the hole in wonder, confused by the monster's reaction. She felt a whoosh of cold air behind her, and turned to find the secret passage open again. "It's open!" she shouted, racing down the stone hallway. There were exclamations of surprise behind her, and she heard the water splashing as the rest of the group followed her.

Komugi reached a large room at the end of the corridor first, and quickly halted, staring at Sharmin with large eyes. In front of her stood a girl with long blonde hair wearing a strange shell headpiece, who looked at the approaching crowd with a frightened expression. Her heart began to beat hard in her chest and she struggled against the urge to grab Sharmin and flee from that place. As innocent as the girl looked, there was something sinister about her, and it frightened Komugi.

"Eva!" the Spellsinger gasped, dropping to her knees beside Komugi in instant prayer. "Oh holy goddess, how you have graced us with your presence." Komugi looked to her and then back to the blonde, her eyes large. _Get Sharmin out of there!_ A voice screamed within her. She tried to run forward, to pull Sharmin away from the goddess, but her legs seemed to have turn into lead. She began to shake uncontrollably, and gripped her staff tighter to try and quell it.

"She looks normal." She heard Narlafayn say beside her. _She's not normal!_ Komugi tried to shout, but found her voice wouldn't come forth. Her shaking intensified as Eva began to whimper in fear while gazing at Narlafayn.

"No, it is the one who will kill us all…" Eva sobbed, clinging to Sharmin's hands. Komugi glanced at the Light Elf who stared back at Eva in confusion. The rest of the party looked amongst themselves, confused. They didn't seem to realize who it was Eva was looking at. Taking a breath and squaring his shoulders, Leon slowly approached the two women.

"It's ok; we're not going to harm you." He said in a gentle voice. As good as his intentions were, he only seemed to distress Eva farther, and she pulled away from Sharmin.

"Or will we?" Vlad muttered in an obnoxious tone. Komugi cast him an annoyed glance. _You idiot, now's not the time to tease people!_ She thought angrily, wishing her voice would work.

"Stay away from me, destroyer of gods!" Eva wailed hysterically, covering her face. A waterspout suddenly sprung from the floor and encased her, as if protecting her from that which she feared. It disappeared a moment later, and Eva stood calmly, as if she had composed herself. Komugi's eyes twitched, it seemed as if Eva had suddenly turned into a different person in those few seconds. She seemed taller, and her eyes were more slanted, giving her a sinister look.

"Eva?" the Spellsinger asked, her voice low. She seemed shocked by the change. _I guess she didn't expect her goddess to be bipolar._ Komugi mused, a grin touching the corners of her mouth.

"The ones you requested are in place, mother." Eva said, scanning their faces coldly. Komugi met her gaze defiantly, causing the goddess to blink. Eva stared back darkly, and Komugi suddenly felt as if she were drowning. She fell to her knees as Eva held her arms out, another waterspout encasing her and teleporting her out of the room.

"Komugi?" Vuylay asked in concern, kneeling next to her. She held a hand to her throat, trying to breathe, but her throat had tightened. "Oh my god, someone do something!" she exclaimed, but it went unheard. A large portal that had suddenly opened up along the wall in front of them entranced everyone. Komugi's eyes widened as she stared at it, as it seemed to be leading into a strange world she'd never seen before. Everything seemed to blink, and suddenly Sharmin was in the portal, which was closing around her and sucking her in like a jellified dessert. Komugi heaved once and hacked, water pouring from her nose and mouth as Leon reached for Sharmin's hand.

There was a shout behind her from the corridor, and Komugi turned to find Zaken, dressed as a normal human, running down the hall. He leapt into the air as he reached the room and swung his swords through a being of pure light she hadn't noticed there before.

"A curse upon you Pirate King!" the being said in an echoing voice before dissipating into hundreds of lights. Zaken landed gracefully on one knee, his head bowed and arms extended. He panted in rage, and Komugi could visibly see he was trying to control himself to not transform into the monster he became in battle.

"LEON!" Sharmin shouted, her voice sounding as if she were screaming through water. Torn between grief and relief, Komugi pushed herself to her feet and ran towards the portal as Leon grasped through the dimensional tear, trying to grab Sharmin's hand.

"SHARMIN!" Komugi screamed mournfully, reaching the portal as it closed up. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Narlafayn let out a mournful cry. She doubled over on her knees, her hands over her face, weeping bitterly. Komugi stared in shock at where Sharmin had disappeared from, not understanding all that had just transpired. Leon made a fist next to her and then punched the stone wall angrily.

"You're not welcome here, Zaken! She's mine now!" Komugi heard Valimos shout. She turned slowly to see him running towards Zaken, who stood as he approached.

"Stop it!" Komugi yelled. Her voice echoed off the walls, and the men paused, swords aimed at each other. She took a few faltering steps towards them, her mind detached from all that had happened. "I've had enough." She said in a weak voice, tears dripping down her cheeks. Zaken stepped away from Valimos and dropped his swords, which disappeared into the air before they hit the ground. He disappeared from where he stood, reappearing again in front of Komugi and lifting her up gently. He cast Valimos one more hateful glare before lifting into the air and disappearing.

Komugi buried her face on his shoulder as he carried her through the Garden and didn't move until he gently set her down. They were back on the shore leading down into the Garden. She hadn't even felt him traveling through the water to get there. She walked away from him slowly, and waded into the reef, staring out over the water. Zaken stood behind her, and didn't move.

"Did he touch you?" Zaken asked, his voice hard. Komugi shook her head, knowing he was referring to Valimos. "When the Puppet master arrived in my domain, I was surprised. I never thought something like that would assist a human." He paused for a moment and looked away. "I was surprised you called for me, after all of this time." He stated in a low tone.

"I found my sister… you know…" Komugi began, her voice choking up. Her legs began to shake again as she remembered the frightful goddess of water. "…But she was taken from me again." She swallowed and looked up, trying to see past the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "And I couldn't do anything about it." She collapsed to her knees then and began to sob as hard as she could. For such a short time her life seemed like it would go back to that which she yearned for, but it was ripped from her. "Why am I so weak? Why couldn't I have run up there and pulled her free like Leon tried to?" she wept, hiding her face with her hands. "When I saw that goddess, I couldn't even move!"

Zaken knelt beside her and put his hands on her shoulders. She fell onto his chest and continued to cry as he put a hand on her head to pet her hair. "The gods _are_ frightful." He said in a soft voice. "To not fear them is to be foolish." He pushed her back enough to lift her face by her chin to look into his eyes. "More foolish than a misguided pirate looking for Giant's treasure." He gave her a sad half-smile and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. Komugi looked down and sniffled once before standing.

"I'm sorry, but I can't go back with you." Komugi said sadly as he stood next to her. "I have to find a way to bring her back from wherever she was taken." Zaken gazed at her without expression for a moment before nodding and looking down. Komugi felt her heart tug at the sadness that seemed to envelop him, and took his hand gently. "Thank you…for looking for me all this time." She said softly, smiling lightly. "I didn't realize I was that important to you." She blushed as she admitted it, which turned into embarrassment, as Zaken didn't respond to her. Sighing she took a step back to pull away, wishing to dive under the coral and hide until he went away. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek before she moved far. Quicker than she could grasp, he guided her face to his and kissed her lovingly.

The child inside of her mind began throwing a stomping temper tantrum saying she wasn't sixteen and he hadn't presented her with a hairpin, but she ignored it. _Shut up, this is perfect after all._ She said to it, wrapping her arms around Zaken's neck.

_You little, beloved fool._ She heard Zaken's voice say in her mind. _How could you have not known?_ They pulled away from each other and she looked into his eyes for a moment before hugging one another. Her expression grew determined, as she rested her cheek on his chest.

_A cure_. She decided, stepping away from him and looking towards the moon. _If he will let me, I will find him a cure while I find a way to bring Sharmin home. _Hope and determination renewing itself in her heart, Komugi stepped out of the shell of the young, spoiled thing she'd been, and into the mind of someone more mature. She _would_ bring Sharmin back.

And nothing was going to stop her this time. She would destroy anyone, any_thing_ that dare try.


End file.
